Cemetery Discoveries - Page 10 of 11 - The Cemetery Detective™

Chinese Cemetery & Live Oak Cemetery – Greenville Mississippi

Chinese Cemetery and Live Oak Cemetery, Greenville Mississippi

Chinese Cemetery, Greenville Mississippi — Chinese Cemetery, Greenville Misssissippi

I am often intrigued by the differences between well maintained cemeteries and those that have fallen into disrepair. What factors contribute to one cemetery being neatly maintained versus another, in essentially the same location, being allowed to become over grown and strewn with litter?

While visiting Chinese Cemetery and Live Oak Cemetery in Greenville, MS I found these two adjacent cemeteries portrayed very different levels of maintenance. Both cemeteries where gated and fenced although Live Oak Cemetery had an open design that allowed for visitors 24 hours per day while the Chinese Cemetery’s gates were locked after official visiting hours and did not allow for visitors during the nighttime hours.

Chinese Cemetery displayed a distinct ethnic pride and all persons interred within the cemetery were of apparently similar ethnic heritage. Live Oak Cemetery did not appear to have a cultural reference other than to reflect the community, at large, surrounding it. While the community appeared to be socioeconomically depressed I do not find in my cemetery research, that socioeconomic status, by itself, directly correlates to the general upkeep of a cemetery. I have visited many well-kept cemeteries in many depressed neighborhoods.

Live Oak Cemetery, Greenville Mississippi

Above and beyond willingness and ability to pay money to have entire cemeteries and individual gravesites maintained, community pride seems to be an important factor in general upkeep of a community cemetery as does a core group of concerned citizens who take it upon themselves to instill community pride in a well-kept cemetery. If I were to hypothisise, I would suppose that Chinese Cemetery is cared for by a close-knit community of friends and family members who have a continuing desire to honor the interred.

Conversely, Live Oak Cemetery might have recently lost their core group of close-knit members of the community who, in years past, took great pride in properly maintaining their family’s plots. Without an emphasis for the need of community involvement, a cemetery such as Live Oak Cemetery can quickly become overgrown and derelict.

With a small amount of community involvement, Live Oak Cemetery can quickly be turned around and become as well cared for as Chinese Cemetery in Greenville, Mississippi.

Nearby: Tamale Shop

Helm Cemetery – Shaw Mississippi

Helm Cemetery – Shaw Mississippi. If spring warming had caused crop growth to be a few inches higher we would have never seen the cemetery on the horizon. We were driving down Highway 61 on a late April day and I dare say if our trip had been delayed until May we would have completely missed Helm Cemetery.

Like so many cemeteries we pass along the roadside, this Cemetery hides engulfed in a farmer’s field. It is appropriate though since many of these cemeteries are populated with farmers and sharecroppers of old.

We didn’t stay long. The muddy ground made for difficult foot navigation toward and through the cemetery.

Key Underwood Coon Dog Cemetery – Cherokee Alabama

The Coon Dog Cemetery tombstones and epitaphs will make any animal lover shed a tear.

While I normally confine my cemetery research to those of the human variety, I can be easily lead astray when it comes to interesting cemeteries that do not contain human remains. When I heard of the Coon Dog Cemetery in Cherokee Alabama, my interest was immediately piqued. Coon Dog Cemetery? Seriously? I have visited several pet cemeteries but never an entire cemetery dedicated to one specific breed of dog.

“Alright, what the heck? This will be good for a quick laugh.” I thought as I drove Alabama’s secluded backwoods roads peering through my bug-splattered windshield for Coon Dog Cemetery Road. Maybe there will be two or three sticks in the ground marking a few crude burial sites where dog owners laid the remains of their hunting companions.

Well, I have to tell you I wasn’t laughing when I pulled into the Key Underwood Coon Dog Cemetery. There before me laid the remains of 185 beloved members of hunting families delicately honored with tombstones and epitaphs that could make any animal lover shed a tear.

There is:

Greasy’s Spot
Gypsy
Old Red
Squeek
Preacher
Hank
Daisy
Strait Talkn’ Tex
Blue Flash and Blue Flash Jr.
Tree Talkin’ Train
Papa
Lassie
So Blue Rocky
Bear
Beanblossom Bommer
Duke
Old Roy
Ranger
Ruff
High Pocket
Lulubelle
Doctor Doom
and, not to forget to mention, TROOP, the first coondog buried in the Coondog Cemetery on September 4, 1937.

Troop September 4, 1937 — Troop – September 4, 1937

The Coon Dog Cemetery is only intended for the interment of “straight” coon dogs. That means, coon dogs that spend their pursuits of game other than Raccoons are not welcome. Does your dog run rabbit, squirrel, armadillo, or deer? Then your dog is not welcome here. Is your dog part chow, Labrador, Shepard, or (God forbid) poodle? Then you best bury it elsewhere.

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Nearby Attraction: The Rattlesnake Saloon

How to get to the Coon Dog Cemetery:

Florence Cemetery – Florence Alabama

Florence Cemetery in Florence Alabama is the final resting place of Alabama Governors, a city Mayor, and an author or two.

Florence Cemetery in Florence Alabama is the final resting place of Alabama Governors, a city Mayor, and an author or two. Immediately outside the cemetery walls, 6 feet under busy Tennessee Street lies a cantankerous outlaw who claimed “no one will ever run over me.” City residents saw to it his claims would prove to be false as thousands of people run over him every single day.

I visited Florence Cemetery on a warm April day. Though a brisk breeze blew, a bright Alabama sun beat down upon me. The sun burns me quickly at the beginning of the summer season and I was thankful for the copious numbers of trees which shade much of the older portions of the cemetery. Scattered throughout the grounds are groves of tall standing Juniper trees. Cemetery maintenance workers expertly prune lower branches away from tombstones and monuments making for isolated shady areas within which I enjoyed exploring tombstone engravings without the risk of an annoying April sunburn.

Florence Cemetery is on the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register as of March 2009.

Notable Tombstones & Monuments:

Florence Cemetery Mountain Tom Clark — Mountain Tom Clark

Trees in a cemetery — Shady grove of trees in Florence Cemetery

Emmet O'Neil - Alabama Governor — Emmet O’Neil – Alabama Governor 1911 – 1915

Ovals in a cemetery plot. — Oval Grave Markers within a cemetery plot.

Nearby: When visiting Florence Cemetery, be sure to “run” over Mountain Tom Clark’s gravesite on Tennessee Street, visit historic downtown Florence, and reflect on your visit with a Panini and iced tea at Rivertown Coffee, Inc. (as I’m doing right now).

Price Cemetery – Polk County, Tennessee

Price Cemetery aka Cloud Cemetery, Polk County, Tennessee — Price Cemetery – Polk County, Tennessee

Name: Price Cemetery
Known As: Cloud Cemetery
State: Tennessee
County: Polk County
Approximate Coordinates: N35 06.790 W84 34.592
Notable Residents: George Cloud

My father’s friend requested that I locate the old “Cloud” Cemetery near her (and my father’s) birthplace. It took me a few days to realize that Cloud Cemetery’s official name is Price Cemetery.

George Cloud - Price Cemetery - Polk County, Tennessee — George Cloud Died Jan. 30 1861

Crystal Valley Cemetery – Manitou Springs, Colorado

Name: Crystal Valley Cemetery
State: Colorado
Coordinates:

Within the shadow of Pike’s Peak, Crystal Valley Cemetery is a quaint cemetery with a number of interesting grave markers reminiscent of the rugged nature of the state of Colorado.

Particularly, I enjoyed the wooden crosses and the bear themed grave markers.

Aspen Hill Cemetery – Jackson Hole, WY

Most tourists are not interested in cemeteries and Aspen Hill Cemetery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming is not exception.

Name: Aspen Hill Cemetery
State: Wyoming
Coordinates:

Jackson Hole, WY has become a very popular tourist destination. I readily attempt to avoid tourist traps but sometimes I have to delve into huge crowded areas to find cemeteries. Luckily, most tourists are not interested in cemeteries so once I enter the cemetery gates I often find a haven of solitude even amongst the most populated areas.

Aspen Hill Cemetery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming is not a polished and highly manicured cemetery. It is obvious that workers attempt to keep vegetation under control but the tight confines of the grassy areas between headstones make conventional lawn mowing impossible. Weedeaters are employed as is evident by the end pieces of weedeater line that can be seen amongst the tall grass. I am of the opinion that most cemeteries should not be finely manicured. I like the rugged nature of densely populated grave plots.

Aspen Hill Cemetery Grave Sites — Tall Grass Growth in Aspen Hill Cemetery

Mount Moriah Cemetery – Butte, Montana

Grave markers in Mount Moriah Cemetery, Butte, Montana

Name: Mount Moriah Cemetery
Location: Butte, Montana
Coordinates:

“Oh, you have to get a Cornish Pasty while you’re in Butte” so the tourist information leaflets told me. While I was more interested in the beautiful Butte cemeteries, I did stop by a Cornish pasty shop for a quick bite to eat.

Early city formation and the mining activities in the area attracted miners from many nationalities. Notably, miners from Cornwall, England, true to their ancestry, brought two loves with them from their homeland: a love of mining and a love of Cornish pasties.

They also brought a devotion to their loved ones who passed away in their new found homeland. The cemeteries in Butte, MT pay tribute to that devotion. The surrounding rocky landscape can be barren but the cemeteries I visited were lush and green. Mount Moriah was no exception to the lush beauty.

Grave markers in Mount Moriah Cemetery — Grave Markers in Mount Moriah Cemetery

Grave markers contrast against the stark Butte, Montana backdrop.

The Old Granary Burying Ground – Boston, MA

If you are a student or lover of American history, you owe it to yourself to visit the Granary Burying Ground in Boston, Massachusetts.

Name: Granary Burying Ground
Location: Boston, MA
Notable Residents: Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, 3 signers of the Declaration of Independence, many Revolutionary Statesmen.

The Granary Burying Ground was established in 1660 and it is the third oldest cemetery in Boston. It is also one of the oldest cemeteries I have visited inside the United States.

This cemetery is steeped in history and it is fascinating to take a self-guided tour. I did not realize until I read the Wikipedia page on the Granary Burying Ground that there are over 2300 grave sites within the burying ground. In fact, new crypt are occasional discovered as was the case in January 2009 when a woman fell through the ground onto the steps of a previously forgotten crypt.

If you are a student or lover of American history, you owe it to yourself to visit the Granary Burying Ground in Boston.

Ray Cemetery – Harrison, Tennessee

Ray Cemetery outside of Chattanooga Tennessee is an abandoned and uncared for cemetery with field stones and unmarked grave sites.

Ray Cemetery. Harrison (Hamilton County) Tennessee — Ray Cemetery. Harrison, Tennessee. An old, forgotten, and neglected cemetery.

Name: Ray Cemetery
State: Tennessee

Ray Cemetery is currently my favorite type of cemetery to discover. I found this cemetery purely by using an old topo map and my trusty Garmin GPS. Ray Cemetery is located on an old piece of farmland. The cemetery is completely neglected and largely forgotten. I knocked on the door of a couple of farm houses before I found a man who remembered the cemetery from when he was a boy. He told me no one had been on that part of the farm in well over 15 years. Though he did not offer to show me around, he welcomed me to walk through his property and pointed the way.

Rarely do I find such overgrown cemeteries. Ray Cemetery is in a low-lying area of 200 year old farmland. This particular area is frequently muddy from rain runoff and heavy vegetation means nature is gradually reclaiming the land.

The cemetery was difficult to find in such heavy undergrowth and I was only able to find the cemetery when my research assistant point out a barely visible cattle trail leading into otherwise impenetrable thickets.

We noticed haphazardly placed field stones that we mistook for simple rocks lying on the ground. Only after noticing an engraved tombstone did we realize that the field stones were marking gravesites. Many plots were caved in and there were still many more (we assume) unmarked grave sites.

Ray Cemetery Headstone — The only carved tombstone in the cemetery.

Unmarked fieldstone in Ray Cemetery