Favorite Cemeteries

Old Town Cemetery - Galveston, Texas

I love the Old Town Cemetery in Galveston. There's so much history there (and now having said that I realize I say it a lot about a lot of other places but that doesn't make it any less true) and the area reminds me a little bit of the New Orleans cemeteries. After a fencing tournament in Houston Darrell and I couldn't resist taking a quick trip down. It turned out to be more of an extra long detour since we ended up getting chased away by a fast moving storm.

Golconda City Cemetery - Golconda, Illinois

The headstones range in dates, many of the stone faces almost illegible. Some are simple, not even names, just the descriptive mother or child on a small stone, and others are elaborate with angels or Mason symbols or a pair of praying hands. I like the ornate ones best but there’s something compelling about the simpler ones, something hits you in the gut a little harder.

Metairie Cemetery - New Orleans, Louisiana

Metairie Cemetery was our last cemetery stop on our trip and it turned out to be my favorite. We arrived about thirty minutes before they closed the gates for the night and it was everything I'd ever hoped a New Orleans Cemetery would be. Epic and Gothic and Opulent and Beautiful and Interesting. All in capital letters. This is the New Orleans Cemetery I want to go back to and the one I'd recommend seeing if you've only got time in your schedule for one.

Showman's Rest - Hugo, Oklahoma

There's a lot of personality here and I loved the unique headstones. I loved the little bits of story and reading about the person's life. One of my favorites had Give life the best that's in you for it's only a one night stand there are no repeat performances brought back by popular demand. Another favorite said I'd rather be in California. It made me smile, looking at the remembrances of these lives, at the humor so many brought to something that is usually very solemn and reserved.