Greatest Graveyards for Halloween

Appealing to my darker side, whenever I go to a new city, I typically seek out an old cemetery or two. I love the artistry of the historic headstones; mixed with the ravages of time, they provide a means of storytelling for the ages. The first two shots here are from the Granary Burying Ground in Boston. Skulls were a typical design element for tombstones.



From Kings Chapel Burying Ground, also in Boston:



Hollywood Forever may not compare in age to Boston, but it definitely controls the market on kitsch. Where else could you have a Lady in Black who delivers roses to an idol she has never met? Such is the power of silent screen star Rudolph Valentino who died all too young in 1926.



Once known as Calvary Cemetery, Pioneer Park in San Diego still has all the dead bodies buried below the ground...but all the headstones removed and dumped in a ravine, save for a handful that were deemed important by the City back in the 1970s. The select few were moved to the back of the park and re-installed so as to have more space for the park itself. Can you say Poltergeist?



Springwood Cemetery in Greenville was a cool discovery for me; you just never know what creepy or sad little figures you’ll see on a headstone.



Old Santa Rosa Chapel is another favorite; small, quaint, peaceful, and rich with history.



St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans has the future resting place of Nicolas Cage:



Most know about Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah; Laurel Grove is its lesser known counterpart:





I hope you all have a fun (yet safe!) Halloween!

See more Graveyard photos at my main website.

Old Santa Rosa Chapel

Anyone who has traveled with me knows that I typically seek out old cemeteries as I think they are a slice of history, art, and storytelling. For this Halloween, I am featuring The Santa Rosa Chapel, located in Cambria, California. I stumbled upon it during my first visit there in 2010 and returned again this year.



How about that doorknob?



The chapel was built in 1970 for the local Roman Catholic community by Henry Williams and was the first church built in the county after its establishment in 1850.





Its congregation included guests of William Randolph Hearst, Marion Davies, Gary Cooper and Bing Crosby. Why would friends of these celebrities be found here? Because William Randolph Hearst’s San Simeon property (aka Hearst Castle) was just down the road.



How the same headstone looked 8 years before:



The final Mass at this cemetery was celebrated in the Chapel on May 26, 1963.





From the Chapel’s website:

After its closing, the chapel and cemetery fell into a state of neglect and disrepair with both the chapel and cemetery incurring vandalism. In 1978, Cambria natives Marina Curti and Clementine Newman formed the Santa Rosa Chapel committee and spearheaded the restoration project for seven years. The chapel was rededicated for community use on September 16, 1984.

While there, I encountered this beautiful animal:



See more Old Santa Rosa Chapel photos at my main website.