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

Nearby Green-Wood Cemetery's Sylvan Water is the often-photographed mausoleum of the Michel family. In the early 20th century, the Leonhard Michel Brewing Co., located in Brooklyn, was well-known. Its story can be found in 'The Breweries of Brooklyn,' published in 1976. Tragedy struck the family when, in December of 1914, Leonhard's son, Frank, committed suicide at the age of 41. In an eerie coincidence, plans for the family mausoleum were drawn up earlier that year.

  Charles Feltman is credited with "inventing" the hot dog. In 1871, Feltman opened the Feltman Restaurant and Beer Garden in Coney Island. His establishment proved hugely popular, and on one day alone it was reported that he served 40,000 hot dogs. One of his workers, Nathan Handwerker, would go on to achieve his own fame after opening his own Coney Island hot dog restaurant: Nathan's.

  I've just visiting Green-Wood for the umpteenth time. Given that I've written a book about the cemetery, as well as a number of articles, it might seen like there's nothing new to see. But that's definitely not the case. Its 478 acres always offer a previously unseen historical and/or architectural gem along with a new perspective on oft-photographed favorites. What's more, seeing the grounds through a friend's first visit (as I did yesterday) is illuminating. 

  The Weeping Angel is one of my all-time favorite monuments. So much so, that I requested that the publisher of my last book-- Gardens of Stone--make it the cover.  This monument is Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery, but variations can be found in a number of cemeteries around the world.

Calvary Cemetery's Johnston mausoleum is a perennial favorite of mine. Here's another view of it towering above the rest of the gravesites. It is the second largest structure on the grounds, and fans of The Godfather may recall seeing it in Don Corleone's funeral scene. Entombed within are the Johnston brothers, who were proprietors of a successful (very successful judging by their final resting place) dry goods store in the 19th century. 

The weather today was superb for a cemetery walk, With fall colors illuminated by bright sun, I enjoyed visiting some previously photographed sites, to offer a new perspective.  In the mid-19th century, successful tobacco merchant, John Anderson, was one of the suspects in the murder of his employee, Mary Cecilia Rogers. And even though he was never convicted of the murder, his arrest derailed his ambition to become mayor of New York City. Anderson died in France, and was entombed in this grand mausoleum high upon a hill in Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery.

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.

These books will help make any cemetery tour extra-special. Click on  My Favorite Cemetery Travel Books  to read my latest article.

This strikingly detailed bronze replica of Michelangelo’s Pietà is very personal to me as both a New Yorker, and a Long Islander. The granite memorial tablet, in the shape of a cruciform, behind the statue, bears the names, and occupations, of more than 400 of the victims who perished on September 11 or who later died from a 9/11-related illness. The years have not dimmed the horrors of that day.

  This summer I finally made it to East Hampton to visit Green River Cemetery. It had been on my list of cemeteries to visit for a long time. And while I'd read a lot about it, and included it in an article I wrote for  Newsday  about tombstone tourism on Long Island, seeing it was something else. Many of the graves are marked by boulders, rather than  tombstones. It may have been a traditional begun by Artist Jackson Pollo ck, and his wife Lee Krasner. Actor Peter Boyle, too, chose a boulder to mark his final resting place. As does Steven J. Ross, the former CEO of Time Warner.  The tragic deaths of brother and sister Courtney and Robert Steel stopped me in my tracks. Courtney was killed by a drunk driver less than two years after her brother died of cancer at the age of 19.