Gardens of Stone --- A Cemetery Blog by Alexandra Kathryn Mosca

  Rising star Aaliyah, affectionately known as "Baby Girl" tragically died in a small plane crash, in 2001, at the age of 22. The popular singer had just finished filming of a music video in the Bahamas. She is entombed beneath her father, Michael, in a private alcove in Ferncliff Cemetery's Rosewood Mausoleum . Hers is one of the stories in my article --Westchester in Repose-- in July's 'American Cemetery & Cremation' magazine.

I 've written scores of cemetery profiles, and have enjoyed working on each and every one. But I must say, I was entranced by the subject of my latest profile from the moment I drove into the cemetery gates. Westchester Hills Cemetery-Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, located in Hastings-on-Hudson, in New York, has an amazing roster of notables: the Gershwin brothers, Billy Rose, Lee Strasberg, Tony Randall, John Garfield, Roberta Peters, Mac & Jack Barricini, and the Rosenthal family, who began Riverside Memorial Chapel. The cemetery also contains many stories of interest of non-celebrities, as well as amazing architecture, like this cover monument.

Born in Warsaw, Poland, to a Jewish family, Anna Held often headlined the Folies-Bergere. Later, Held claimed Paris as her birthplace, shaved a few years off her age, and converted to Catholicism upon marrying a Uruguayan playboy, Maximo Carrera. With Carrera, Held had a daughter named Liane. In 1896, Held met Florenz Ziegfeld when he hired her to be in one of his productions.     By 1897, the two were in love despite being unable to marry legally (her first husband would not grant her a divorce). However, after seven years, they were considered husband and wife by New York’s common law. It was Held who inspired the ‘Ziegfeld Follies.’ Sadly, Held died at the age of 46 in 1918 from multiple myeloma, a rare disease at the time.  Her funeral was held at Campbell’s in NYC and was well attended by stars of the era, except for Ziegfeld, who disliked funerals. Held’s “Empire-Style” burial site boasts a stone arch and two benches. It was purchased for her by actr...

To kick off the baseball season, today's post is in homage to Gil Hodges, one of the game's greats. The grave of Gil Hodges can be found in Brooklyn's Holy Cross Cemetery. His grave is adorned with an American flag and baseball memorabilia left by visiting fans. The former first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers died in 1972, two days before his 48th birthday. Several days later, more than 1,000 people stood in line to pay their respects as Hodges body reposed in a Brooklyn funeral home. After two days of visitation, a Mass of Christian Burial took place at Hodges church, Our Lady Help of Christians, led by Bishop Francis Mugavero. Seated in the church, which was filled to capacity, were Bowie Kuhn, Jackie Robinson, PeeWee Reese, Tom Seaver and Mayor John Lindsay. Thousands more lined the streets. At the conclusion of the service,  two flower cars overflowing with floral tributes led the cortege to Holy Cross.    

A finely chiseled bust tops the monument of well-to-do Kings County politician, Andrew McClennen, in Brooklyn's Holy Cross Cemetery. McClennen stipulated in his will that if his children left no heirs, "I give his or her share to the incorporated Roman Catholic hospitals and orphan asylums of the city of Brooklyn." 

This majestic monument marks the grave of  Major General Robert Patterson, who fought in both the Mexican-American War and the Civil War.

Based on Michelangelo's Lorenzo de Medici, this sculpture is part of the Sayles family lot in Rhode Island's Swan Point Cemetery.

The palatial mausoleum of hoteliers Harry and Leona Helmsley commands a picturesque view in New York's Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and is o ne of the most recognized mausoleums in the cemetery. In the center of the building, on top of the inlaid marble floor, two crypts contain the bodies of the Helmsleys. Harry's tomb is inscribed with the following words: Harry (1997): "I wait for the time we can soar together again, both aware of each other. - Harry." On the other hand, Leona's tomb reads, "I never knew a day I did not love you." Leona reads, "I never knew a day I did not love you.-Three identical stained-glass windows depicting the Manhattan skyline adorn the 1,300-square-foot structure on almost an acre of land.  The Helmsleys were originally to be entombed in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, where Leona commissioned a mausoleum upon Harry's death. But when a community mausoleum was being constructed nearby, threatening to obstruct the views...

This graceful monument in Cypress Hills Cemetery marks the grave of Dr. Henry Small --a 19th Century physician and his wife, Araminta.

This Norman Revival hillside tomb, which contains the remains of the Lispenard Stewart family, was designed by James Fenwick in 1889. The Stewart family was socially prominent and when Mrs. Mary Stewart (nee Mary Rogers Rhinelander) died in 1893, a NY Times article noted that she was “one of the wealthiest women in New York . ”Her funeral was attended by the Astor, Vanderbilt and Pell families. Their son, Senator Lispenard Stewart, was included in an 1890 article about the most eligible bachelors in NY. In 1895, he was the escort of Gertrude Vanderbilt at her coming out party (which had an entirely different meaning in those days :)) and characterized as the “best dancer in Newport , Rhode Island .”

This arbor of trees --located near the Civil War Soldiers' Monument-- --where the delicate and ephemeral cherry blossoms make a brief appearance, is one of my favorite spring sites.

This tableau, blanketed by freshly fallen snow, is in honor of Good Friday and the promise of spring.

The bronze-reliefs on the tomb of steel magnate David Stewart were created by famed architect Stanford White and preeminent sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Together, the pair also created a number of other noted works: The Farragut Monument in Madison Square Garden (their first collaboration); the Peter Cooper Monument for Cooper Union; The Puritan in Springfield, Mass.and Chicago’s General John Logan Monument .

The Guggenheim name is widely known in America  for their philanthropic contributions. In the 19 th century, the family patriarch, Meyer, amassed his fortune from mining and smelting.  His business acumen and charitable nature were inherited by his large family, who also made names for themselves during their lifetimes. The Guggenheim family's good deeds and repuation continue to live on.  Many members of the family are are entombed in Salem Fields Cemetery , an historic Jewish cemetery that is located on the border between Brooklyn and Queens. Their octagonal-shaped mausoleum, which is the largest in the cemetery, was built in 1899 by American architect Henry Beaumont Herts, and cost over $100,000. The white marble structure was modeled after the Tower of the Winds in Athens in the Italian neoclassical style. Barbara Myers Guggenheim, the wife of family patriarch Meyer, was the first to be entombed there after her sudden death in 1890. Meyer’s grand-nephew, Harry G...

This G othic Revival mausoleum was built for Edwin W. Marsh in 1890. At the time, Marsh was the most successful retail dry goods merchant in Atlanta. Constructed of sandstone, the building sports a spire, buttresses, cusped arches and polished granite shafts. The prominent bronze urn was made by Gorham Manufacturing, the first US foundry. One of 55 mausoleums in Oakland Cemetery, the Marsh mausoleum is currently undergoing restoration.

Replete with photos, this recent article highlights 10 popular US cemeteries. Cemeteries of the Rich, Famous and Notorious.

In 1920, a parcel of land in Calvary Cemetery, Queens, was gifted by Cardinal Hayes to the Catholic Actors Guild. But, it was not until 1937 that a monument was erected at the site. The 10 foot high and 8 feet wide monument bears the names of the performers, as well as a line from Hamlet: Flights of Angels Sing Thee to Thy Rest. Gene Buck -- president of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers-- presided over the November, 1937, dedication, telling the crowd that “They made life richer for a million people.” Over time, the guild purchased additional land and to date more than 200 of its members have been buried here.

This sandstone castle-like mausoleum contains the remains of Rev. Dr. Charles W. Roeder, the longtime pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Roeder, a member of an old Dutch family, was also chaplain of both a local army and navy post.

  This stately mausoleum, with Egyptian overtones, houses the remains of Richard Kyle Fox in Woodlawn cemetery.   Fox , who was born in Belfast Ireland , published the popular National Police Gazette From 1877-1922. In its heyday the publication --which sold for a dime --had a circulation of 500,000 and a readership in the millions.