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

Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of the Unknowns-- commonly called The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier --is perched high atop a hill, affording a spectacular view of Washington, DC. Since the 1921 burial of an unidentified WWI veteran, three more veterans --from WWI, Korea, and Vietnam--have been entombed. The sarcophagus, in the shape of a tomb, is constructed of white marble and sports columns in the corners. The east panel, which faces Washington, DC, features three Greek figures representing Peace, Victory, and Valor. The Tomb of the Unknowns is guarded around the clock every day of the year by Tomb Guard sentinels, who are all volunteers from the elite 3rd U.S. Infantry. From the beginning of October to the end of March, the guard is changed each hour in an impressive ceremony. In the warmer weather -April through September—that change occurs every half-hour.

Frank Costello, born Francesco Castiglia, was luckier than most of his mob cronies --he died a natural death at the age of 82. Having survived a 1957 murder attempt by Vincent Gigante-- a low-level criminal at the time—Costello later refused to identify Gigante as the shooter. Nicknamed the "Prime Minister of the Underworld," Costello was a Mafia leader who wanted to be accepted as a businessman and member of the establishment. Unlike most of his peers, Costello was said to eschew violence. He cultivated refinement and sought out sophisticated friends among New York's established bigwigs and politicians. These men curried his favors to such an extent that the underworld grapevine claimed, "Nobody in New York City can be made a judge without Costello's consent." During the mid-fifties Kefauver hearings on organized crime, Costello was front and center. At least his hands were, as the networks agreed not to broadcast his face. When the committee asked what he ...

Snapped this photo at Mount St. Mary's Cemetery in Queens, New York, on a recent visit. Note the fresh flower in the left hand of this beautifully detailed Angel.

Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist --who spent 33 years in the court- died on September 3, 2005 at 80. His body lay in state in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court until his funeral on September 7, 2005; his casket resting on the same catafalque as did the casket of Abraham Lincoln. Rehnquist’s religious service took place at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in Washington, DC, where, in 1963, John F. Kennedy’s funeral Mass was held. The Catholic cathedral was chosen for its size. However, Minister Rev. George W. Evans Jr., pastor of Rehnquist’s parish, the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, conducted the service. At the start of the religious service, Rehnquist’s casket was carried into the church by some of his former law clerks, preceded by the eight associate justices. During a service over two hours long, Rehnquist was eulogized by many, including President George W. Bush and close friend, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. At its conclusion, another group of law clerks carried J...

 This life-like statue of seven year old Helen Kennedy can be found in Brooklyn's Evergreen Cemetery. I searched, but could find no information about the child or her family. This monument is reminiscent of the many poignant memorials to children that can be found in cemeteries all over the world.

Hungarian-born journalist and newspaper publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, was born Jozsef Politzer in 1847. Several years after the death of his father--and after the family’s reversal of fortune--Pulitzer emigrated to the united States. Trying his hand at a variety of jobs, Pulitzer eventually found his true calling as a journalist. In his lifetime, he owned both the New York World and the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Yet, it was what his considerable wealth made possible after his death that has made the Pulitzer name synonymous with Journalism: In 1912, the fist school of journalism was established at Columbia University and in 1917, the first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded. In October 1911, Pulitzer died unexpectedly aboard his yacht in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor, at the age of 64. The boat had been en route to Pulitzer’s winter home in Jekyll Island, Georgia, when a hurricane threatened. “Leise, ganz leise, ganz leise (softly, quite softly), were said to be his last words. On the...

Joseph Profaci was characterized as “one of the most powerful underworld figures in the United States” by Robert F. Kennedy during his tenure as US Attorney General. Born in Palermo, Profaci was the first boss of the crime family, which initially bore his name-ruling from 1931 to 1962- and later became the Colombo family. During Profaci’s reign, he was arrested several times, but unlike many of his cohorts, he never served time in an American prison. Often referred to as the “olive oil king,” Profaci ran the Mama Mia Importing Company, a leading olive oil and tomato paste importer. Profaci died from liver cancer in 1962 at the age of 64 and is buried in St. John Cemetery in Middle Village, Queens, among a plethora of well-known organized crime figures. Said to be the most devout Catholic of Mafia leaders, Profaci had an altar constructed in his home. His private mausoleum references his religious beliefs as well: A figure of Jesus, with arms outstretched, adorns the door, while a scu...

One of the unique mausoleums to be found in Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery is that of successful Atlanta businessman Jasper Newton Smith. Occupying a prominent site close to the cemetery’s main entrance, the structure’s focal point is the life-sized statue of Smith perched in a chair atop the building. The sculpture, commissioned by Smith to construct his mausoleum, originally depicted him wearing a tie---something Smith never wore because of a boyhood episode in which he almost choked to death. This detail became a point of contention between Smith and sculptor Oliver W. Edwards, who refused to remove it for two long years. In turn, Smith refused to pay him, and eventually, Edwards relented and chipped away the offending cravat. Smith is the only one of his family to be entombed in the mausoleum, where, from his vantage point, it has been said he can “watch the comings and goings.” Local lore has it that Smith gets out of his chair and walks the cemetery at night.

Until his death in 1877, Dr. Noel d’Alvigny was one of the most prominent doctors in Atlanta. An original faculty member and former president of Atlanta Medical College (renamed Emory University School of Medicine), he is credited with saving the school from burning down at the hands of General Sherman’s troops. In 1850, d’Alvigny performed an entirely different kind of helpful act. Soon after Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery opened, Dr. James Nissen became the cemetery’s first interment. The physician died while visiting Atlanta during a medical convention. Afraid of being buried alive, Dr. Nissen requested that his colleague, Dr. d’Alvigny, open his casket at Oakland Cemetery and sever his jugular vein. Although Nissen’s headstone is now faded and illegible, a plaque at the site recalls this incident. Dr. d’Alvigny is believed to have inspired the character of Dr. Meade, the dedicated and wise doctor in Gone With The Wind—a plaque at his grave notes this.

Infamous 1930s crime lord Dutch Schultz is buried beneath a bench-like monument --which bears his birth name, Arthur Flegenheimer—in Hawthorne, New York’s Gate of Heaven Cemetery. Schultz, who was murdered in 1935 by rival gangsters, was a convert to Catholicism. As Schultz lay dying from gunshot wounds in a New Jersey hospital, he was baptized by Father Cornelius McInerney, a Catholic priest who had befriended the gangster while he was serving prison time. That Schultz’s body was taken to Coughlin’s Undertaking parlor in Manhattan remained a closely guarded secret. The morning of his funeral, a throng of people gathered outside the funeral home, along with reporters, to witness Schultz’s body being carried out in its casket. Unbeknown to them, his wood casket had been whisked away in the early morning hours for a leisurely ride to the cemetery. At the graveside --near that of former cohort Larry Fay, also gunned down-- Father McInerney performed a short Catholic service for the five ...