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

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 .

This monument is to the DeFeo family, who were all murdered in their Amityville, LI home in November of 1974. Ronald DeFeo Sr., his wife Louise, and four of their children were shot to death by their eldest son, Ronald Jr., who blamed the murder on a mafia hitman. He was found guilty at trial and is serving a life sentence. This sensational case spawned a number of books, including the Amityville Horror, a book based on the Lutz family's account of the brief (less than a month) period they lived in the house, a year later. George and Kathy Lutz claimed they had been terrorized by paranormal phenomena while residing in the house. To this day, the house at 112 Ocean Ave. remains an object of curiosity.

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.

Green-Wood Cemetery will once again participate in openhousenewyork. As they did last year, the cemetery will be opening several noted mausoleums to the public. For more details, click on the link below. This Weekend at Green-Wood Cemetery

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.