taphophile (plural taphophiles)

A person who is interested in cemeteries, funerals and gravestones

If you haven’t noticed by now, I LOVE CEMETERIES! I think they are some of the most beautiful and peaceful places to visit. I love that the headstones often leave little hints about the people buried beneath them. If you take the time to learn a little about tombstone symbolism and wander around your local cemetery, you might be surprised at how much you can learn. And, if you take it a step further and do some research you might be surprised with some of the stories these people have to tell from beyond the grave. I definitely consider myself to be a tombstone tourist, and usually while on vacation I make a point to check out at least one cemetery.

The Dead History’s Top 5 Favorite Cemeteries:

5. Mt. Olivet Cemetery – Salt Lake City, Utah

Mt. Olivet Cemetery is my favorite cemetery in Utah. It’s located in Salt Lake City, near the University of Utah and directly across the street from the Rice-Eccles Stadium. It’s unique in that it is the only cemetery formed by an Act of Congress. Local churches petitioned the Federal Government for land to use as a non-denominational cemetery, and the government granted 20 acres. The Mount Olivet Cemetery Act designated the cemetery as a burial place for all people and signed by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1874. ((http://www.mountolivetcemeteryslc.com/MO-History.html)) The cemetery holds approximately 26,907 burials, the first being in 1877. ((https://utahdcc.secure.force.com/burials/searchcemeteries?City=&County=&Name=olivet))Mt. Olivet Cemetery is one of the most peaceful spots in all of Salt Lake City. It also has quite a few mausoleums which are my favorite type of monument. Deer can usually be found wandering around the cemetery or lying in groups in the shade. The reason Mt. Olivet Cemetery made my list of Top 5 cemeteries is because of the W.F. James Mausoleum.From the outside, the W.F. James mausoleum appears like an average mausoleum. There’s nothing overtly intriguing about it. But, take a peek through the doors and you’ll see why it’s one of my favorites.I’ve peered through many a mausoleum door and window, and it’s really uncommon to see a picture of the deceased hanging on the wall inside. Not only can you see W.F. James’ tomb, but there’s also a small altar and hanging above is a portrait of the man himself.William Fletcher James was a well-known known business and mining man who spent many years in Salt Lake City. He died in Long Beach, California on December 19th, 1919 and his body was returned to Salt Lake City to be interred at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. It’s fitting that Mr. James was buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. He was a distinguished Civil War soldier who served with the Twentieth Wisconsin Regiment. He also happened to be a personal friend of Ulysses S. Grant, who signed the act creating this cemetery.((Salt Lake Mining Review, December 30th, 1919))

4. Hollywood Forever Cemetery – Hollywood, California

The Hollywood Forever Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles and is the final resting place of many well-known actors, directors, musicians, and others from the entertainment industry. It also happens to be one of the first cemeteries Matt and I explored together. Founded in 1899 it holds approximately 46,798 interments.((https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=8033&CScn=hollywood+forever&))By the time Matt and I got to Hollywood Forever Cemetery it was almost closing time, so, unfortunately, we didn’t have as much time to look around as I would’ve liked. We tried to see as much as possible by wandering around before they came to kick us out.

Some of the headstones, like the ones above, are pretty typically like you might see in any other cemetery. Others, however, are pretty unusual.

Bigsby - Hollywood Forever Cemetery - The Dead History

The final resting place for Carl Morgan Bigsby is one of a kind! Carl Bigsby was an artist and admirer of the space program. He died in 1959 and his monument is an exact to scale replica of the Pioneer Atlas which went into orbit on December 18th, 1958.

Johnny Ramone - Hollywood Forever Cemetery - The Dead History

Johnny Ramone is remembered at Hollywood Forever with this amazing cenotaph. There were so many great monuments here it’s hard for me to say which one is my favorite. I would love to go back and spend more time wandering around because I missed many of the most well-known graves. If you want to check out some of the most famous interments at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, take a look at this site.

3. Green Mount Cemetery – Baltimore, Maryland

As far a “beautiful” cemeteries go, Green Mount Cemetery is definitely near the top of the list. It also has a ton of really interesting mausoleums. To enter the cemetery you must pass through a castle-like gateway, and once inside the headstones stretch out in all directions as far as the eyes can see. Established in March 1838, it was officially dedicated on July 13th, 1839.((https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Mount_Cemetery))It’s most well known for the number of historical figures buried here, including John Wilkes Booth and two other Lincoln assassination conspirators.The Booth family plot is located in the Dogwood area of the cemetery and is fairly easy to find if you look for a large obelisk. In this family plot are at least 11 members of the Booth family, including the infamous John Wilkes Booth. You won’t find a headstone for John Wilkes Booth, however as he is buried in an unmarked grave. In fact, even the cemetery it seems has forgotten just where his grave actually is.((http://www.surrattmuseum.org/effort-to-exhume-booths-body))

People assume that this small blank “headstone” pictured above marks his grave, but it is just the footstone for his sister Asia’s grave.((https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13523390)) Regardless, as you can see people still leave pennies in homage to Lincoln.My favorite part of Green Mount Cemetery is by far the mausoleums. There are a ton of them, and there are many different styles. Seriously, they are amazing!

There was one mausoleum that caught my eye and I had to go take a peek inside. You don’t know how bad I wanted to walk down those steps! I don’t know how many people are buried in that mausoleum, but from what I could see it looked like it was quite a few.

2. Père Lachaise Cemetery – Paris, France

Père Lachaise cemetery had been on the top of my list of places to visit for years, mostly due to my obsession with Jim Morrison during my youth. I finally got the chance to visit a couple of years ago and it was amazing! Père Lachaise is an enormous cemetery, over 100 acres and literally packed full of graves. Opened in 1804, over 1 million people have been buried there to date, with estimates of 2-3 million counting the remains kept in the Aux Morts ossuary.((https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A8re_Lachaise_Cemetery)) It’s also the most visited cemetery in the world with over 3.5 million visitors each year.It took a lot of wandering and getting lost a couple of times (because I didn’t grab a map) but I finally found Jim’s grave. Click here to read more about my adventures inside Père Lachaise.

1. Mt. Moriah Cemetery – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mount Moriah Cemetery is just an amazing cemetery, and, it’s a cemetery that is in need of our help. Created in 1855, what began as 54 acres of burial plots grew over the years to more than 200 acres. In the time period when Mount Moriah was created, there was a new style of cemetery, the rural ideal. The rural cemeteries were laid out like giant parks with large open spaces of landscaped grounds. Prior to the garden cemetery, cemeteries were usually located in small lots inside the city. These were often overcrowded and graves would need to be emptied and reused at some point.So why does Mt. Moriah need our help? This is where things get really strange! Mt. Moriah is considered to be an abandoned cemetery. In 2011, the city was made aware that the last board member of the group that “owned” and cared for the cemetery had died years prior. The cemetery was officially closed and ownership has been locked in legal battles ever since.When Matt and I visited the cemetery in the summer of 2016 we saw that people were using parts of the cemetery to dump junk and trash and most of the cemetery was completely overgrown. The group, The Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery are working so hard to care for this wonderful cemetery. The work they are doing is truly amazing given just how large this cemetery is.My favorite part of Mount Moriah is mausoleum hill. I’m really hopeful that The Friends of Mount Moriah are one day able to fully restore the beauty of this fantastic old cemetery.

Do you have a favorite cemetery? Have you visited any of the cemeteries mentioned? I’d love to hear from you, comment below!

The Historic Calumet Hotel, located in Pipestone, Minnesota is said to be one of Minnesota’s most haunted hotels. It was also featured on Gordon Ramsay’s Hotel Hell. A friend of mine visited recently and told me I should check out the history of this haunted hotel.The hotel that currently sits on the corner of Main Street and Hiawatha Ave is not the first to grace this corner. The fact that there have been two buildings on this site also hints to a possible cause of the spooky activity.

Original Hotel

The first Calumet Hotel was a three-story, wood-framed building with a brick veneer. It was built in 1883, at a cost of around $25,000 ($567,000 in today’s money). During the early years of train travel, it was common for evening trains to arrive hours before the next train would depart the station. Many of those travelers would need a place to stay and the Calumet filled that need. The Calumet Hotel soon became known for being one of the premier hotels in all of Minnesota.

Image Courtesy of The Pipestone County Historical Society

A Pipestone Horror

Within three short years, the hotel was completely destroyed by fire. At approximately 1:30 am on December 16th, 1886 a fire originating from the hotel’s kitchen quickly engulfed the building. Due to a lack of water and no real firefighting equipment, the hotel burned to the ground within a matter of hours.Numerous newspapers mentioned that one person was killed and two were fatally injured but did not die right away. I could only confirm the one known death, that of Rev. Alfred Stoddard Orcutt. Reports say he was trying to ensure that all the guests of the hotel had made it out safely when the building collapsed on him.The death of Rev. Orcutt caused the city officials to realize they lacked the ability to fight fires in town. Within a week the town organized a fire department, started plans for local waterworks, purchased two chemical firetrucks, and a hook and ladder truck.

Calumet Rebuilt

By September 27th, 1888, the new Calumet Hotel opened for business in the same location as the original building. This building held a bank and hotel. The bank entrance was located on the corner of the block and the entrance to the hotel was from Main Street through a Syrian arch. The “new” Calumet Hotel was much bigger than the original hotel and had 50 rooms. In 1913, a fourth floor was added which brought the total number of rooms to 90. For years the Calumet Hotel was known as the place to stay for travelers passing through Pipestone. Everything was fine until Valentine’s Day, 1944.

Man, 53, Perishes In Pipestone Fire

At approximately 10:30 pm on Monday, February 14th, 1944 fire once again broke out at the Calumet Hotel. And oddly enough, it started in the kitchen of the hotel. Even though Pipestone now had a fire department, and they managed to put the fire out fairly quickly, a guest named Chris E. Herschberger did not manage to escape in time.The damage from the fire was quickly repaired, but over time as train travel became less popular, guests of the Calumet Hotel became less frequent. By 1978 the building was in such bad condition it was deemed to be unsafe and closed by the State Fire Marshal. It was purchased in 1979 and renovated into the hotel it is today, opening for business again in 1981.((National Register of Historic Places)) While much of the hotel was remodeled, the staircases and the lobby area have remained virtually untouched. Interestingly enough, this is where most of the paranormal activity is reported.

Ghosts Of The Calumet Hotel

Room 308

Paranormal activity has been reported throughout the hotel, but Room 308 seems to be the hotbed of activity. Hotel staff says that Room 308 was the room that Charles Herschberger was staying in the night he died. A bellboy working the night of the fire in 1944 couldn’t understand why Charlie, as he’s often referred, didn’t simply climb out the window.((https://www.pipestonestar.com/articles/memories-of-a-bellboy/))Guests staying in Room 308 have reported the lights and TV will turn off and on at random, and they often feel like they are not alone in the room. Housekeeping reports that items will be moved about the room on their own as they’re cleaning it.

Room 207

Staff at the front desk report that they will get calls from Room 207 with the person on the other end asking for various items such as toothbrushes or razors. When the employee goes to bring them the requested items they find that the room is unoccupied and locked.

Apparitions & Spectral Music

The ghostly activity also includes sightings of more than one well-dressed apparition.An older, well-dressed man has been sighted lounging in the lobby. Interesting that he is seen here as the lobby is one of few areas of the hotel that has remained pretty much unchanged since 1887. Witnesses report that he is wearing old-fashioned clothing and will sit calmly until promptly disappearing when approached. Could this be Rev. Orcutt from long ago still hanging out in the old hotel?A woman in a bright dress (often said to be red) has been seen walking the hallways of the hotel. She usually disappears from view as soon as she realizes she has been seen.And as if all of that isn’t enough on its own, hotel guests and staff often hear phantom piano music. While there is a piano in the dining room when the music is heard the lights are off and no one is near the piano.It seems to me that most of the activity is residual in nature. Not surprising given the tragic history at the 134-year-old Calumet Hotel.

October 2017

The Dead History’s Top 5 Favorite Cemeteries