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

Some of my best cemetery finds have come my way through pure serendipity. Walking through a cemetery can be a solemn and, at times, an eerie experience. The silence, the weathered tombstones, and the weight of history all cast a mysterious cloak over the atmosphere. Yet, amidst the somber surroundings, there are occasions when serendipity sweeps in to unearth unexpected stories that lie quietly beneath the gravestones. Cemeteries are not solely the resting place of the departed: they are also a testament to the lives lived, the triumphs and struggles woven into the fabric of humanity. Each tombstone tells a unique tale, often with fragments of personal narratives that time has erased. But sometimes, amid the rows of weathered memorials, a serendipitous find sheds light on forgotten stories, connecting us to the past in ways we never imagined. One might stumble upon a gravestone adorned with flowers, meticulously maintained despite the passage of time. Curiosity piqued, we learn that a ...

  Did a bit of cemetery exploring out east last weekend despite the unusually cold temps. Bridgehampton Cemetery --a quintessential churchyard cemetery --is located between two beautiful Protestant churches. The cemetery serves not only as a resting place for those who have passed but also as a reminder of the community’s growth. It is fascinating to think that, as I explored the grounds, families and individuals have returned to this very place for generations to honor their loved ones. I imagined them gathering to commemorate anniversaries, share stories, and keep the memory of their ancestors alive. It’s a continuity that truly embodies the essence of community ties.

  Born in Lee, Massachusetts, Thomas Clark Durant attended Albany Medical School, earned a degree and, for a time, taught surgery. However, after becoming aware of the need for better transportation, he became involved in the railroad industry. When he became involved in a lawsuit about a bridge, he hired a young lawyer named Abraham Lincoln to defend him. This connection paid off when Lincoln became president and, in 1862, gave Durant’s company, the Union Pacific, a big part of building the Transcontinental Railroad. Although construction faced delays due to the Civil War, Durant took advantage of the situation by secretly bringing in cotton from the Confederate States to make money. After the war, railroad construction resumed, and Durant organized publicity stunts to draw attention and investors. A memorable moment was when he swung the sledgehammer to drive the Golden Spike into the ground in Promontory, Utah, completing the Transcontinental Railway. Durant died in 1885, but th...

  Buried beneath this monument is Ralph Adrian Gushee who for 41 years was the proprietor of Manhattan’s Claremont Inn. The restaurant was a “hot spot” in its time, welcoming guests like President William McKinley and Admiral George Dewey. Gushee and his family lived in an apartment above the restaurant and was waked there when he died in 1933. That same year, prohibition ended and newly elected Mayor Fiorello La Guardia pushed for the remodeling of the Claremont Inn, insisting that its traditionally high prices become more affordable. Robert Moses undertook the project, and on May 1, 1935, the Claremont Inn had a grand reopening with a reported crowd of 500 patrons. In the late 1940s, the Inn's popularity waned, signaling its inevitable end. In 1951, as the city began the demolition, an unexpected event unfolded. A fire, sparked by coals, ignited the old structure, hastening its demise. The remnants of the Inn were then torn down. Today, a playground stands on the site where the I...

  Director Max Reinhardt, entombed in Westchester Hills Cemetery's older community mausoleum near the front of the cemetery, had a deeply personal connection to The Sound of Music. His legacy is not only marked by the founding of the Salzburg Music Festival but also by his inspiration for the character, Max Detweiler. After his passing, his son, Wolfgang, continued this connection by acquiring the film rights from Maria Von Trapp. In Salzburg, his former home, Schloss Leopoldskron, was used for some exterior scenes in the movie and is now a boutique hotel with three Sound of Music-themed suites.

One summer day, while wandering the grounds of the Gate of Heaven cemetery, I came across an alabaster statue of Mary cradling Jesus in an open grassy field. The statue was striking, but the Greek surname on the gravestone, which is not often seen in Catholic cemeteries, caught my attention. There was also something faintly familiar about the name. I soon realized that I had stumbled upon the grave of Spyros Skouras, a movie executive and former president of 20th Century Fox Studios. I wondered how many others had passed by, unaware of who he was and what he had accomplished. Born to humble beginnings in Ilia, a small village in Greece, Skouras boarded a boat to America with two of his brothers in search of the American dream. He truly found it. The man who once sold popcorn in American movie theaters rose to become the president of 20th Century Fox. During his 20-year tenure—from 1942 to 1962, the longest in the company's history—he oversaw the production of major films such as Th...

Wealthy industrialists William Robertson and Mary "Mai" Rogers Coe,  are entombed within a stately mausoleum in a leafy alcove toward the eastern end of Memorial Cemetery of St. John's Church on Long Island's north shore.  Their former Oyster Bay homestead has served as a state park—Planting Fields Arboretum—since 1949, are entombed within a stately mausoleum in a leafy alcove toward the eastern end of the cemetery.

  One of the most unusual mausoleums I’ve encountered is in Brooklyn’s Cemetery of the Evergreens. Cylindrical in shape, and made of cast iron, it resembles a boiler tank, and for good reason. It is the final resting place of W.H. Guild, whose firm, Guild and Garrison, manufactured pumping material.

  Capt. Alexander Joseph Swift was the son of Brigadier-General Joseph G. Swift, West Point's first graduate. During the Mexican-American War, Capt. Alexander Swift trained U.S. Military Academy officers for deployment to Mexico. It was there, during the Battle of Vera Cruz, a 20-day siege of the Mexican seaport, that Swift contracted dysentery. He died less than a month after the battle ended and is buried in Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery.

Harry James Luke Foale, a Brooklyn resident for most of his life, ran a successful interior decorating business. His name often appeared on the Brooklyn Society pages, a testament to his thriving eneterprise. However, one newspaper mentioned that Foale could have done without was his arrest in 1890 for -unknowingly- buying a stolen horse. Foale died in 1928 at his home, Irisdale, in Northport, Long Island. His funeral service took place at the Fairchild Funeral Home's Brooklyn branch. A year later, the family mausoleum was completed. Foale is entombed with his wife, Emily, in Brooklyn's Cemetery of the Evergreens.

Situated prominently near the main entrance of the Cemetery of the Evergreen's, in Brooklyn, t he impressive mausoleum of Philip Steingotter, a builder from Brooklyn, also holds the remains of his wife, Elizabeth, as well as their daughter, Lillian Reichers, and her husband, Herman, who died at the age of 33. When Philip died in 1932, he left behind an estate worth over $200,000, a substantial sum for that period.

  It's been some time since I've photographed the Roeder mausoleum. After Saturday morning's funeral, I took a walk through the cemetery grounds, revisiting --and photographing-- some of my favorite sites. It was a misty (even rainy at times) and cloudy day, which made for optimal photography. also got a decent shot of the interior. The sandstone mausoleum resembles a castle and it holds the remains of Rev. Dr. Charles W. Roeder, who served as the longtime pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Roeder, who belonged to an old Dutch family, also served as the chaplain of a local army and navy post.

It took me three determined attempts to locate the grave of author Mario Puzo, buried in North Babylon Cemetery (not to be confused with Babylon Rural Cemetery) on Long Island. The third time was the charm, and I finally found it. On Sunday evening, after dinner, my cousin joined me in the search. We split up and walked through the rows of the cemetery.  Despite coming across many noteworthy monuments, I still couldn't find Puzo's grave. Suddenly, it occurred to me that he might be buried in the small --and less occupied-- graveyard across the street.  It turned out that it was another section of the cemetery, and I spotted Puzo's grave nestled within some bushes as soon as I entered. He is buried with his wife Erika who died in 1978. Surprisingly, the rose granite monument makes no mention of his fame as a writer.  Standing before the grave, I couldn't help but recall the day long ago when, as a teenager, I and some friends eagerly made our way into the city to see the...

  The catacombs beneath old   St. Patrick’s Cathedral, are a unique historical site, and among the few remaining catacombs in the  U.S. A network of underground tombs and passageways, these catacombs hold a rich history that is closely connected with the early history of Catholics in New York City. They were used for burials and religious ceremonies, and some of the earliest Catholic settlers in New York found their final resting place here.   While St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue gets the lion’s share of attention as the center of Roman Catholicism in New York City, the Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral in lower Manhattan was the focal point of the church in the city for decades. Located at the intersection of Mott and Prince Streets, Old St. Patrick’s was the first cathedral for the Diocese of New York when it was completed in 1815. The building was also the largest Catholic church in the United States at that time. Many Catholics began to gain promine...

  Cemeteries can be great resources for genealogical research. Here are some tips to get you started,

  A bronze angel, holding a hammer and chisel, perches on the monument of Benjamin Franklin Romaine, a NYC merchant, appearing to rest after completing the memorial. Romaine was a Trustee of both the Bowery savings Bank and the Church of the Divine Paternity, where his funeral service was held. Romaine's father, Jacob, who is also buried in the plot, headed the Romaine Academy for Young Ladies, a private school in New York City.

This month, Kates-Boylston Publications generously offers non-subscribers complimentary digital access American Cemetery & Cremation magazine. It's a great opportunity to see the photos and read the great stories about cemeteries around the country. Long before I began writing for them I was a subscriber, and I truly believe this is a magazine for anyone who cares about the beauty, tranquility, architecture and history to be found in cemeteries. This issue features my article on cemetery bloggers (of which I am one) and the reasons we chronicle the sometimes arcane stories of those who have gone before us. The Eppig mausoleum (pictured above) is one of them. For the article, I interviewed Ed Snyder, who began his popular blog, The Cemetery Traveler, more than a dozen years ago, and Chantal Larochelle, whose blog features Canadian cemetery stories. In a sidebar, I've included a few more of my favorite blogs. Here's the link: Cemetery Bloggers Blending History and Reveren...

Italian-born Emanuele Ronzoni, a master of pasta-making from a young age, founded the Ronzoni Macaroni Co. in 1915. His son and namesake, Emanuele Jr., carrying forward his father's legacy, brought innovation and growth to the company. He diversified the product line, introducing pasta sauces and frozen entrees alongside the more than 50 pasta varieties.   In an interview, Emanuele Jr. once said " I don't expect the company's management will be passing out of family hands." But despite that prediction,  the company was acquired by General Foods n 1984. Yet, even through subsequent corporate transitions, the Ronzoni brand and its iconic logo,  "Ronzoni Sono Buoni," have remained a symbol of quality and tradition. The Ronzoni mausoleum stands in Mt. St. Mary's Cemetery in Flushing, New York.

John Dustin Archbold was a key figure of the Gilded Age. He worked for John D. Rockefeller’s company, Standard Oil, where he served alternately as vice president, president, and a member of the board of directors. The Archbold mausoleum, situated across from William Rockefeller's mausoleum, is a unique structure. Crafted from green granite by Troy Granite in Worcester, Massachusetts, it stands at an impressive 36 feet by 36 feet and reaches a height of 32 feet, housing 12 crypts.The mausoleum, and its bronze doors, were designed by the New York firm of Morris, Butler and Rodman Architects. The Norcross Brothers, a 19th century construction company, oversaw the building of the structure. Inside, the glass mosaic ceiling, a true work of art, was painstakingly crafted by Otto Heinigke (1850-1915) and features a myriad of Christian symbols, including the Agnes Dei (lamb of God), winged depictions of the four evangelists, angels, and crosses, each with its own fascinating story to tell.

For this month's American Cemetery & Cremation magazine, I wrote about some of the cemetery monuments I've come across bearing song lyrics. Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind, and Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run, are among them. Here's a bonus find from  Westchester County’s Sharon Gardens Cemetery. The words to the song “One Boy” from the classic musical Bye Bye Birdie are etched into a small grave marker. With lyrics by Lee Adams and music by Charles Strouse, the song became a hit when it was performed by Ann-Margret in the 1963 film adaptation of the musical. Kim McAfee, played by Margret, assures her boyfriend, Hugo Peabody, that rock star Conrad Birdie has not stolen her affection. Have you seen any? If so, where? And what was the song?