Cemeteries Worth A Visit - Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis

At the beginning of each month we’ll take a look at one cemetery that is especially“Worth the Visit.”  This means that it offers something exceptional for the historian, genealogist and tombstone tourist.  It could be outstanding gravestones, interesting cemetery grounds, or just an exciting place to explore!  This month we will take a look at Crown Hill Cemetery, located in Indianapolis, Indiana.  This is a cemetery you could easily spend the day in.

On Top of the Crown

Lucy Ann Seaton

Crown Hill Cemetery was so named because of its location on the highest point in the city. Crown Hill was incorporated on September 25, 1863 and dedicated as a cemetery on June 1st, 1864.  The next day, June 2nd the first burial was held there for Lucy Ann Seaton, a 33 year-old mother who died of consumption - (tuberculosis.)  Her husband John, a Union Captain serving in the Civil War, had inscribed on her stone, “Lucy, God grant that I can meet you in heaven.”  Currently, over 190,000 people rest among its rolling 555 acres, the third largest non-government cemetery in the U.S.

Crown Hill National Cemetery

In the summer of 1866, the U.S. Government purchased 1.4 acres of land within Crown Hill for a National Cemetery.  Over 700 soldiers were interred there by November of that year.  In all, 2,135 soldiers are now buried there, representing every war in which the United States has taken part in up to and including the Viet Nam War.  The last burial was in 1969 for Air Force Major Robert W Hayes.

Confederate Mound

Another military burial ground, the Confederate Mound, is the final resting place of 1,616 Confederate Prisoners of the Civil War.  These southern soldiers died while being detained at Camp Morton from 1862 through 1865.  Most were originally buried at the City Cemetery, but were moved in 1931 by the War Department.

President Benjamin Harrison

Grave of President Harrison

Many notable and notorious people are buried at Crown Hill.  There is one U.S. President, Benjamin Harrison, three Vice Presidents and eleven Indiana Governors.

Grave of James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley

Hoosier Poet James Whitcomb Riley was the first person to be buried on top of the crown in 1917 – 18 months after his death.  From the top, or ‘crown’ of the hill you can see downtown Indianapolis, almost three miles away.

Mausoleum of Colonel Eli Lilly

Other well-known people interred here include Lyman Ayres, founder of L.S. Ayres Department stores.  Colonel Eli Lilly, Civil War Commander and pioneer pharmacist, who founded Eli Lilly Laboratory in Indianapolis.

Dr Richard Gatlin

John Dillinger

 Dr Richard Gatlin, inventor of the Gatlin gun is buried here, along with John Dillinger, the infamous 1930’s bank robber.

Grave of John Dillinger

Community Mausoleum

Gothic Chapel

Crown Hill also has thousands of statues, markers and stories.   There are twenty-five miles of paved road inside the cemetery gates, a community mausoleum, a funeral home and the Gothic Chapel, where weddings and events are held, year round.

The cemetery offers many resources for the family researcher, including an on-staff genealogist.  Information available may include burial permits, names of family members and funeral directors, along with burial plot and section numbers.  Requests may be made by email or phone.  A $5.00 research fee is required per name.

Gates to the Cemetery

Crown Hill Cemetery is located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, Indiana.  The phone number is (317) 925-8231 for general and genealogical information.  For more information, visit their web page at CrownHill.org. Or check out the Crown Hill Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/crownhill.org

A view of Indianapolis
from the "Crown"

If you plan to spend the weekend in Indianapolis, be sure to plan an afternoon, or better yet, a day at Crown Hill Cemetery.  It is a true Rural Cemetery that offers something for everyone, history, architecture, walking tours and genealogical research, all in a serene and beautiful setting.

~ James Whitcomb Riley

~ Joy

Celebrating Our Freedom on July 4th

Signing of the Declaration

July 4^th is a special date for Americans.  Two hundred thirty five years ago, on this day, in 1776, our country officially declared its separation and freedom from Great Britain.  And each year, on Independence Day, we still celebrate in hundreds of towns and cities across the country, with parades, picnics, barbecues, and fireworks. 

Lexington, Kentucky
Military Cemetery

Although we may have our differences as individuals, as a country, we still believe that America is the ‘land of the free and the home of the brave.’  As a people, we still honor those who have fought, and those who have died, for our rights, our freedoms, and our country. 

And that sense of pride in this country can be seen in cemeteries too.  Unlike Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day – both holidays to honor those who have served, and those who have died for our country - July 4^th is a day that holds a feeling of pride and promise. 

Martin Luther King

Marine Band

We will remember our fallen service men and women on this day, but we will also remember those who returned.  We will remember those who have made a difference in our culture, those who have fought to end racism, to end sexism, to end discrimination of all kinds, those who have helped to unify us as one nation, with liberty and justice for all.

In America, we have many symbols that represent freedom, symbols that are found in our cemeteries across the country.  Symbols that remind and give hope to all who see them.

Although 235 years old, these words from the Declaration of Independence continue to ring true:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. 

 That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

As we enjoy this holiday weekend, let us pause and remember what we are celebrating – our freedom and independence – as individuals, communities, and as a country!

Happy Birthday America!

~ Joy

And – to our neighbors to the north – Happy Canada Day!

Are You a Tombstone Tourist?

Cemetery in snow

When someone asks what I do for fun, I reply that I’m a tombstone tourist.  It’s nice that there is a word to describe those of us who love to go to cemeteries.  Otherwise, we would have to do a lot of explaining, (which I did until I found ‘the word.’)

A winter sunset in
the cemetery

Brian Neighbors -
A Tombstone Tourist

Tombstone tourist is a term that caught on after Scott Stanton published his book by the same name in 2003.  (The book is about popular musicians and where they are buried.)  Before that, those of us who frequented cemeteries were known, singularly, as a ‘taphophile’ – someone who has “a passion for and enjoyment of cemeteries”. Or in the plural form, by the term ‘taphophilia.’ 

Neglected Crypt

Military Cemetery

Of course, there are other terms that attempt to describe those of us who love visiting graveyards, searching for tombstones and admiring mausoleums.  Just a few of the more popular are ‘grave hunter,’ ‘cemetery enthusiast,’ and ‘graver.’  All sound a bit adventurous, a bit like a PBS documentary title. But I prefer being called a  ‘tombstone tourist.’  It has a more up-beat sound and it makes more sense to me, because we are tourists – on a journey, making discoveries, enjoying ourselves, and our pursuit.   I know I am not a graver - it just sounds a bit odd and morbid to me.

Sunlit Mausoleum

Frankfort, Kentucky Cemetery

When asked what a tombstone tourist is, I can talk (at length) about the cemeteries I have visited, and the ones I want to, expounding on the treasures found there – the exquisite architecture, the impressive history, the genealogical aspects, the magnificent statues, the puzzling symbols, and the fact that I get to enjoy all of this – outside – without crowds, deadlines or paying an outlandish amount for an entertaining afternoon.

Sunlight on a stone

Old Cathedral,
Vincennes, Indiana

And we have history!  Tombstone tourists have existed for thousands of years.  In China, ancestor worship – where family members visit the graves of ancestors, decorate them and ask for their guidance or favor - has been in practice since ancient times. In numerous countries, pilgrimages are still made to the burial sites of saints and other religious figures, to honor them and seek assistance.

Autumn in the cemetery

A Tombstone Tourist Day for me

The advent of the internet has changed what we do, in a way.  Now, you can ‘visit’ a cemetery on line.  While it’s not the same as strolling through a windy autumnal cemetery, searching for an ancestor’s grave, it does make sense if time or finances are holding you back from making the trip.  You can still locate an ancestor’s final resting place on the internet, complete with a photo, on sites such as findagrave.com and interment.com.  Or visit the websites of some of the most famous cemeteries in the world and see them vicariously - still an adventure.

An undisturbed path
through the snow

Summer in the cemetery

But a true tombstone tourist relishes that walk among the stones, surrounded by nature and the elements.  There’s something about following a cemetery road or graveyard path, wherever it may wander, and being surprised, and delighted, by the great discoveries you make just around the bend.  Nothing can take that thrill away.

Tombstone Tourist?  Yes, that’s me!

~ Joy

A Circus Tragedy and Showmen’s Rest

Mourning Elephant

Showmen’s Rest is the nations’ most well known cemetery for circus artists and performers.  It was created in 1916 when the Showmen’s League of America purchased a plot at Woodlawn Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois for the burial of circus performers, circus hands and circus artists.  Five white elephant statues circle the plot, trunks lowered as a sign of mourning.  Burials were far between for the first two years, until that fateful morning in June when circus history was changed forever.

Wreck of the Hagenbeck-Wallace
Circus Train

It was around 4 A.M. on June 22, 1918, near Ivanhoe, Indiana when the 26-car Hagenbeck-Wallace circus train stopped to cool an overheated wheel-bearing box.  Although warning lights had been set out to signal that the train had stopped on the tracks, it was struck at full speed from behind by an empty troop train.  Three of the train cars, with sleeping circus workers in them, were destroyed by fire. Eighty-six performers, circus hands and roustabouts were killed as a result of the crash and fire. Many others injured. Fifty-six of the victims were buried at Woodlawn Cemetery at Showmen’s Rest.  The Showmen’s League of America donated the plots for the showmen’s burials.

Grave Stone for Jennie Ward Todd

Jennie Ward Todd

Among those buried were Jennie Ward Todd of the “Flying Wards.”  And the “Great Dieckx Brothers,” Arthur Dieckx and Max Nietzborn.

Row of Graves

Forty of the markers are engraved as “Unknown”  - “Unknown Female, number 48” or “Unknown Male, number 29”, and the date June 22, 1918.

4 Horses Driver & Baldy

Two performers were buried under their show names, ‘Baldy’ and ‘Smiley,’ as their real names were never known.  A few stones are marked only with the person’s job descriptions such as 4 Horse Driver, June 22, 1918.  Contrary to popular myth, NO animals were hurt or killed in the train crash.

The Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus was the second largest circus in the U.S. at the time.  Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey held the number one position.  Many Hagenbeck-Wallace show posters included the line “Presenting The Most Novel Elephant Acts Ever Seen.” 

Circus performers from around the country arrived to help Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus keep to their performing schedule for that season. All told, the circus only missed one performance, the night of June 22, 1918 when they were to appear in Hammond, Indiana. 

Mt Olivet Cemetery
in Hugo, Oklahoma

There are a few other ‘Showmen’s Rest Cemeteries’ in the U.S. – one is in Miami, Florida, at Southern Memorial Park.  This is the largest of the Showmen’s Rest Cemeteries, founded in 1952.  Another is located at the ‘winter home of the circus’, Hugo, Oklahoma at Mt Olivet Cemetery.  And another is located in Tampa, Florida near downtown.

International Clown Week

It is true that performers and actors never want to “leave the boards” of the stage, and at Showmen’s Rest, in Woodlawn Cemetery, that desire is understood.  Each year, International Clown Week http://performforthelove.com/showmensrest/ is held in early August.  A private memorial is held during the week for the circus performers buried there.  Then, on a Sunday afternoon, circus artists from across the world perform for the public at Showmen’s Rest. The events include circus acts, death-defying feats, family entertainment and general “clowning around,” as hundreds of clowns take part each year.  The event is billed as “a loving and festive remembrance of circus artists past.”

Showmen's Rest, Woodlawn Cemetery

As a theatre performer I can tell you, this is one of the most fitting and touching tributes any performer could ask for.  The old adage, “The show must go on…” is something every true performer believes. It is wonderful to see that it still does……at Showmen’s Rest.

~  Joy