Curate Your Own Adventure

One type of heritage place that has been at the top of our itinerary for almost every city we’ve visited is historic cemeteries and graveyards. I’m excited to write about the ones we have explored. As well as a bit of context, I’ll also share whether or not we did a tour, walked around on our own, etc. Before starting the list, I want to say there are many reasons to visit a cemetery. For me, they are peaceful green spaces where you can learn numerous stories that weave together to paint a picture of society and culture. The cemetery itself can tell you much about a city or town. I also enjoy the aesthetic of a cemetery and viewing all the architecture and statues. Two of the cemeteries on this list have been on my must-visit list for years – Sleepy Hollow and Bonaventure. I am going to start with the former.

1. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery – Sleepy Hollow

The first cemetery we visited was Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in the village of, no surprises here, Sleepy Hollow. You are likely to know this village from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a 1820 short story by Washington Irving. This story has been made into a film and is rife in popular culture – especially the image of the headless horseman. The cemetery opened on October 29, 1849, and was partly founded by Washington Irving who is buried within the grounds. Today, it stretches across 90 acres and has approximately 46 000 burials. As well as Irving, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is the final resting place for Andrew Carnegie, Walter Chrysler, Elizabeth Arden, William Rockefeller, and Louisa May Alcott.

If you are visiting in October or November, there are multiple ways to explore the cemetery. Daylight tours, night time lantern tours, and special interest tours run all throughout both months. We wanted to visit the cemetery early in the day, so opted to explore on our own. It is very well sign-posted and there are maps so you can easily make your way around. Below are a few photographs of the grounds including the grave of Irving.

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is open between 8am and 4.30pm (Monday to Thursday), 8am – 4pm (Friday), and 8.30am – 4pm (Saturday and Sunday).

2. The Trinity Churchyard Graveyard – New York

Right near Wall Street in New York is Trinity Church. Surrounding this church are a number of graves with the oldest being that of Richard Churcher who died in 1681. Perhaps the most famous individuals buried here are Alexander Hamilton, Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, and Angelica Schuyler Church. We walked around the cemetery on our own to see these graves.

There are a couple of other cemeteries I’d like to see in New York so watch this space for future trips.

The Trinity Churchyard is open daily between 8.30am and 4pm.

3. Oakland Cemetery – Atlanta

Oakland Cemetery is located in Atlanta, Georgia and is the oldest public park in the city. A great way to see this cemetery is to join a 90-minute overview tour that introduces visitors to the sights, symbols and stories of Oakland. As an FYI, there are also multiple special interest tours available throughout the year. Our guide from the Historic Oakland Foundation, Gordon, shared some fantastic stories with us about those who are buried in the cemetery. As we travelled through the different cemetery sections we saw the graves of individuals such as Margaret Mitchell and Selena Sloan Butler.

We were also able to see three impressive statues within the grounds. I’ll include photographs of them below. These are statues on the graves of (in order), Jasper Newton Smith (an Atlanta businessman), Mary Glover Thurman (considered the Angel of Atlanta for her charity work), and Mollie and Mary Lizzie Neal (Mary Lizzie died at age 22 and her mother died of grief five years later).

The cemetery is open dawn to dusk (6am to 8pm) every day of the year. You can explore the grounds on your own. I’d highly recommend visiting their gift shop.

4. Graveyards Around Charleston

There are so many churches in Charleston and so many graveyards. Nearly every single church within the city has an attached graveyard. We went on a general walking tour of Charleston and passed by a few. I’m including photographs of (in order), French Huguenot Church, St Michael’s Church, and St Philip’s Church.

5. Colonial Park Cemetery – Savannah

The first cemetery we visited in Savannah was the Colonial Park Cemetery – right in the middle of the city. The cemetery opened in 1750 and was closed to new burials in 1853. In 1896, the cemetery re-opened as a city park. We walked through the cemetery on our own stopping to read the numerous historic signs that are distributed throughout. For example, there is a sign over the grave of James Wilde who died during a duel. Another historic marker worth mentioning is one dedicated to the victims of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1820. Approximately 700 Savannah residents died during this epidemic and the majority are buried in this cemetery.

Over one side of the cemetery are a number of headstones set into the wall dividing the cemetery from the building next door. Most of these burials are from the early 1800s.

The cemetery is open 8am to 5pm (November to March) and 8pm to 8pm (March to November).

6. Bonaventure Cemetery – Savannah

The final cemetery I’ll be reviewing is Bonaventure cemetery located a short drive from Savannah. This cemetery is particularly famous for its association with Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, a book by John Berendt. It is also a stunning cemetery – filled with Spanish Moss that creates a certain eeriness. We explored the cemetery on a two-hour guided tour with Shannon Scott Tours. Our guide, Jon, shared so many interesting stories not only about those who are buried in the cemetery but about cemetery traditions throughout time.

A real highlight for me was seeing an original bell next to the tomb of Charles F Mills. A string would have gone from the bell to the coffin so if someone was accidentally buried alive they could ring the bell and be rescued. We also visited a table memorial that would have been used in the Victorian era for a picnic. Remembering that cemeteries were major recreation spaces during this time (and are sort of becoming that again today).

I’d definitely go on a tour of this cemetery as it’s massive. If you do want to explore on your own, the cemetery is open 8am to 5pm daily.

I hope this blog will encourage you to go and explore a cemetery on your travels. I have a couple more blog posts in the works for this trip and will hopefully post soon.