Price Chapel Cemetery (Cemetary) is defined by an overwhemlingly striking tree which greets (almost ominously so) visitors to this small cemetery located between Cleveland Tennessee and Chattanooga Tennessee.
Price Chapel Cemetery (Cemetary)
Many cemeteries we visit are defined by a single tombstone. A large obelisk, ornate carving on a single granite monolith, or a magnificient white bronze erection often is the defining feature in a cemetery and makes us say “This tombstone defines the cemetery.”
However, Price Chapel Cemetery (Cemetary) is defined by an overwhemlingly striking tree which greets (almost ominously so) visitors to this small cemetery located between Cleveland Tennessee and Chattanooga Tennessee.
Markers date back to the mid 1800’s to a time in Bradley County when the coming Civil War was not even a rumor. Unfortunately, progress is never ceasing and the area immediately surrounding Price Chapel is becoming overrun with car dealers and movie theaters.
The Tree Defines the Cemetery – Price Chapel Cemetery
Following a keen interest in cemeteries The Cemetery Detective has studied burying grounds from Hawaii to Maine, Europe, and throughout the United Kingdom. He instructs entrepreneurs how to start their own grave care businesses through his website: www.GraveCareBusiness.com
Charleston’s Cumberland Presbyterian Cemetery is located on a slope nestled amongst rolling Tennessee hill on the extreme northeast Bradley County border less than 400 meters from the Hiawassee River.
Charleston Cumberland Presbyterian Cemetery
The spring storms and tornados of 2011 devastated many areas of southeast Tennessee. As I scoured the Tennessee countryside on an unusually warm winter’s day cloud swirls screamed past and I wondered if I were soon to be caught in another spate of southern twisters. Charleston’s Cumberland Presbyterian Cemetery is located on a slope nestled among rolling Tennessee hills on the extreme northeast Bradley County border less than 400 meters from the Hiawassee River.
I barely braved the torrents of rain sheeting toward the ground at 45 degree angles long enough to snap a few photographs. This is such a beautiful area of Tennessee, I wish I could have wandered around longer.
Gravemarker enthusiasts will like to know that the 5 known limestone gravemarkers in the country are located within the City of Miami Cemetery.
City of Miami Cemetery – Front Gate
Before tourning the Port of Miami, I decided to take a quick tour of a couple cemeteries that were near my hotel. The City of Miami Cemetery was a quick 1.1 miles away so I decided to walk the distance. It was a pleasant walk that allowed me to explore a few ecclectic shops and find a Miami diner serving plate sized portions of home-style cooking. If you are not interested in the 1.1 mile walk, a 15 minute bus ride will take you from the Bayside retail section of the Port of Miami to within a few minutes walk of the cemetery.
My initial impression of the cemetery was of the substantial fence enclosing grave plots, monuments, and many tropical trees. The cemetery was mosly tidy, the grass was manicured, and markers were mostly easy to read. I did find that there were a significant number of pedestrians using the cemetery as a walking path between 2nd Avenue and North Miami Avenue. I wasn’t bothered by them but many of them seemed to look at me suspiciously as I wandered the grave sites with my notepad and cameras.
The cemetery houses many of the original black American and Bahamian incorporators of the city. One of the United States’ first black judges is also buried there. There is a large memorial to the Confederate Dead as well as a Catholic section, a Jewish section, a Spanish-American War section, and a monument dedicated to Julia Tuttle – the Mother of Miami.
Gravemarker enthusiasts will like to know that the 5 known limestone gravemarkers in the country are located within the City of Miami Cemetery.
Following a keen interest in cemeteries The Cemetery Detective has studied burying grounds from Hawaii to Maine, Europe, and throughout the United Kingdom. He instructs entrepreneurs how to start their own grave care businesses through his website: www.GraveCareBusiness.com
Singleterry (or is it Singletary?) Cemetery is located behind a quaint white church tucked away in the North Georgia hills. I visited, the grass was growing long. Long grass is to be expected during a wetter than normal North Georgia summer.
Interestingly, this cemetery provides another example of divergence between a colloquial name and an officially registered name. Our records show that the official name is Singletary Cemetery. However, the cemetery sign clearly states that the name is spelled Singleterry.
Following a keen interest in cemeteries The Cemetery Detective has studied burying grounds from Hawaii to Maine, Europe, and throughout the United Kingdom. He instructs entrepreneurs how to start their own grave care businesses through his website: www.GraveCareBusiness.com
Corley – Paris, Arkansas – is a small family cemetery located in Logan County that is well maintained.
Corley Family Cemetery – Paris, Arkansas
On all of his travels, there are two stops The Cemetery Detective cannot refuse. The first, of course, is a cemetery. The second is a mountain. If there is a mountain within sight, The Cemetery Detective will climb it. In fact, The Cemetery Detective has challenged himself to reach the highpoint in each of the 50 states. He is halfway to his goal with 25 highpoints scaled.
The challenge of reaching a state highpoint is intensified when there is a cemetery within easy reach. Arkansas’ highpoint “Mt. Magazine” proved to be a fun highpoint to reach due to several interesting cemeteries along the drive to the base of the hike.
Corley Family Cemetery proved to be a plesant stop along Arkansas backroads. Corley – Paris, Arkansas – is a small family cemetery located in Logan County that is well maintained. Even within the envelope of a hot, humid, Arkansas summer, the plentiful shade trees and fresh colorful flowers made us glad we stopped long enough to view the gravestones before proceeding to climb Mt. Magazine.
Colorful Corley Cemetery
BTW, if you are interested in climbing Arkansas’ highpoint, the trail leading up Mt. Magazine’s 2753′ peak is an easy hike for most skill levels.
Following a keen interest in cemeteries The Cemetery Detective has studied burying grounds from Hawaii to Maine, Europe, and throughout the United Kingdom. He instructs entrepreneurs how to start their own grave care businesses through his website: www.GraveCareBusiness.com
the Jesuses I observed in Our Lady of Guadalupe Cemetery were two of the most spectacular Jesus grave markers I have ever seen in a cemetery.
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Coupling a keen eye for grave markers with the barren flat landscape of New Mexico back country means very few cemeteries go unnoticed to The Cemetery Detective.
On a late May afternoon while driving slightly faster than necessary along Highway 68 and fighting the glare of a hot New Mexico sun, I glimpsed the familiar shapes of traditional southwestern grave markers more than a mile in the distance. “I simply do not have time to take in another cemetery today” I thought to myself. My journey was growing long and I had less than 3 days to travel 1300 miles back to my home in East Tennessee.
As each tenth mile clicked away on my odometer the lure of this particular cemetery grew as distant as my desire to eat one more greasy tamale from a roadside tamale stand. The kind of tamale containing peppers never seen east of the Mississippi River. The kind that exudes brightly colored grease that pours down your hand and into your shirtsleeve with each bite. Sure, they taste great at first but after so many days on the road and so many lackluster experiences, you desire an immediate change of pace.
The middle divider of the four lane highway provided enough of a barrier to quell my impetus of making another stop. I would be on my way without distraction. Now, I consider myself fairly spontaineous. However, when I first noticed the highway crossover, it was less than 200 feet in front of me. Being in the right hand lane of the four lane highway and travelling with my right foot depressed more than half-way to the floorboard made a possible diversion through the crossover and toward the cemetery on my left simply unreasonable to fathom. However, the instant gratification of a self-provided challenge was too much to resist. With a squeal that would make a set of high end Pirelli’s envious, my tires accepted the physics-defying cornering demands of my rapid decelaration and abrupt trajectory change with ease.
The sign said “Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.” I could have sworn I had stopped at a OLG Cemetery not a day before and I hoped I was not going to be as disappointed with this cemetery as I was with the last one.
As happens so often in my life, the absolute last minute decisions, that take place with completely no planning at all, often turn out to be some of my best decisions. This fantastic find was the result of one such decision.
As I pulled into OLG Cemetery, I saw a very familiar sight; dry sandy substrate with no greenery in easy view. Ahh…but I was not here to spy greenery. And what I was here to spy, the grave markers, were spectacular.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Cemetery Overview
I have seen Jesuses as grave markers before. I have seen broken-hearted Jesuses, crucified Jesuses, and I have even seen a Jesus wearing cowboy boots. However, the Jesuses I observed in OLG were two of the most spectacular Jesus grave markers I have ever seen in a cemetery.
Jesus Grave Marker & Grave Shelter
Jesus #1 appeared to be slightly over 6’ tall though his long, thing, gangly arms should have been fitted to a skinny man a full 12” taller. He had a very pleasant smile on his face though the stigmata on his hands were clearly visible. A white linen draped around one shoulder clearly setoff his tanned, well defined, even muscular, body and his hair fell loosely around his shoulders. What a magnificent sight.
Jesus #2 appeared to be the same height as Jesus #1. However, Jesus #2’s figure was bent slightly at the waist under the heavy burden of the cross he carried. His face was much grimmer than the first Jesus as trickles of blood meanered toward his eyes after seeping from wounds produced by a thorny crown encircling his head. He wore a full robe as opposed to the first Jesus’ loosely fitted linen however both Jesuses sported full beards. Another very interesting aspect of the two Jesus markers is that they are both housed under cover of grave shelters.
What a joy OLG Cemetery was. I could have easily spent two hours enjoying each and every grave marker. However, the previously mentioned time constraints pressed me to move on my way. If you are ever in this section of New Mexico, please stop in, take a few photographs, and collect a few hands full of wind blown litter that inevitably becomes entangled within the perimeter fence. If you happen to be (or know of) the artist who produced the Jesus grave markers, I would love to hear from you. Your work is very much admired.
Following a keen interest in cemeteries The Cemetery Detective has studied burying grounds from Hawaii to Maine, Europe, and throughout the United Kingdom. He instructs entrepreneurs how to start their own grave care businesses through his website: www.GraveCareBusiness.com
The Russian Molokan Cemetery in Glendale Arizona features a large flat layout of gravesites
Wooden Stakes and Granite Grave Markers
The Russian Molokan Cemetery in Glendale Arizona features a large flat layout of gravesites marked with traditional wooden Molokan markers as well as granite tombstones.
The gates were locked so I was unable to explore the cemetery. However, since it was located on a stereotypically flat parcel of Arizona land, I was able to read a few markers with my telephoto lens. Names like Tolmachoff and Popoff were frequent amongst the granite grave markers I could read. Unfortunately, I was unable to decern any markings on the wooden grave markers.
Maricopa County Cemetery is simply a cemetery that has been forgotten by the community that has grown up around it.
Maricopa County Cemetery – Phoenix Arizona
I could barely believe my eyes when I arrived at the Maricopa County Cemetery. It was, very possibly, one of the most barren parcels of land I had ever laid eyes on. In fact, a giggle and “this must be the worst cemetery I have ever seen” escaped through my lips.
Maricopa County is a flat, dusty piece of ground. Scant visible grave makers and a small metal sign are the only indications of a cemetery within the confines of a rock and metal fence. In an attempt to quell my impetuousness, I strolled through the cemetery in an effort to understand the plat. A 6 month old Christmas Tree decoration adorned one grave. A Jesus emblazoned cross denoted another grave. Yet another grave was visible only due to the fact that someone had poked a broken coat hanger into the desert dust beneath which a flat marker was buried. No other markers were visible from a distance. And most markers were not even visible close up.
The metal sign I mentioned earlier informed visitors that the Pioneer Cemetery Association is conducting an assesment of the burial sites within the cemetery. It asked for respect to the cemetery as the importance of those interred is discovered.
I no longer think of this as the worst cemetery I have ever visited. Maricopa County Cemetery is simply a cemetery that has been forgotten by the community that has grown up around it.
After almost meeting Jodi Foster, eating a hamburger the size of a Frisbee, and driving dead straight for almost 60 miles, I discovered a terrific little cemetery tucked away in a wooded landscape not far from wilderness campgrounds and a working horse farm.
“Wait, you almost met Jodi Foster? Skip the cemetery stuff and tell us the details.” you are probably saying to yourself.
Well, in all honesty, I did not almost meet Jodi Foster. However, I did visit the Very Large Array (VLA) where Jodi Foster filmed segments of the film “CONTACT” in 1996. There is a large poster describing the day she visited the VLA. I’m sure it was a very exciting time for the scientists to have their facilities featured in such a movie.
After leaving the VLA site and stopping by an out-of-the-way burger joint called the Eagle Guest Ranch where I ate the best 16 ounce hamburger smothered in green chili I have ever eaten, I heard rumor of a great cemetery with a beautiful ironwork gate. My main question at this point concerned the correct pronunciation of the town’s name. Was it pronounced Day-til? That was my best guess until I saw the name of the hamburger on the menu. “The Datil Do-Ya” burger. Ahhh…Dattle-Do-Ya. Great….the correct pronunciation of the cemetery is: Dattle.
In my hunt for Datil Cemetery, a technical obstacle immediately presented itself. Using my Garmin GPS, I found Oatil Cemetery but there was no listing for Datil. If anyone from the USGS happens to have access to the nationwide cemetery database happens to read this: Oatil Cemetery in New Mexico need to be changed to Datil Cemetery.
Anyway, I saw the cemetery but I missed the turn and wound around to a working horse farm. The horses were beautiful and intrigued by my attempts to cross a shallow ravine in my current Cemetery-Mobile. Yes, a Chevy Cavalier is not suitable for 4 wheeling. With slobber dripping bits, the horses blinked their eyes and swished their tails. Glad I provided some much needed ammusement, big guys. A friendly, yet skeptical, cowgirl sidled up to my car and offered directions to Datil Cemetery. Datil Cemetery is off route 12 just outside of Datil, New Mexico.
As I had heard, the iron gate at Datil Cemetery is spectacular. A kneeling cowboy backed by his trusty steed pays respects to a cross in front of a setting sun. The cemetery is small but the care taken by the family and friend of those buried at Datil Cemetery is apparent.
Apparently, a campground lies nestled amongst the hills to the east of Datil Cemetery. I would have loved to have bedded down for the night but my enthusiastic travelling companion (The Cemetery Diva) urged me on to our next stop.
View of Distant Mountains – Datil Cemetery New MexicoGrove of trees in Datil Cemetery – Datil New Mexico
Stoic, substantial monuments tower over straight, neatly manicured pathways within the Serbian Cemetery of East Los Angeles
