I love a cemetery.
The older, the better. I am definitely the girl who yells, “Skeleton holes!” and pulls the car over to investigate a good cemetery.
I have planned vacations around what graveyards I can visit. I have a bucket list of cemeteries I still need to see.
And I realize that a lot of people think that’s weird.
I don’t care.
But I am aware that the places where the dead rest have gotten a bad rap, through stories and movies and superstitions. When I start talking about cemeteries and drop the knowledge that I lead tours, I usually get two responses: “Do you hunt ghosts?” or “That’s so morbid, why do you care?”
I don’t hunt ghosts, but paranormal investigators are totally welcome on my tours! And cemeteries aren’t morbid or scary or depressing. They’re peaceful and
often filled with lovely art. Tombstones don’t just tell the story of a life, but the history of our country. The styles of stones, what they’re made of, and the symbols that are used have changed through time. And those changes reflect the values and trends of societies over the centuries. Different religious, cultural and geographic factors all affect cemeteries. And yet, some burial practices are as old and enduring as the pyramids in Egypt.
Want to learn more? Come out for a tour! On Friday, October 18 at 5:30 p.m., I’ll be leading an exploration of the Jewell Cemetery State Historical Site: the symbols, the superstitions, the traditions, and the history.
You’ll definitely learn something and maybe never look at a cemetery the same way again.
