Established in 1841, Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum in Dayton, Ohio is one of the oldest institutions in the rural cemetery movement. It’s interesting to compare it to Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, or to its similarly named counterpart in Quincy, Illinois. It is sited on some downright rugged terrain, creating a dramatic setting with deep…
Tag: Mausolea
Light and Shadow, Reflections on the Water, Bellefontaine Cemetery
The new mausoleum at Bellefontaine Cemetery has a series of windows and staircases that lead to different vistas and views, allowing the visitor to see the lake to the north, or other parts of the cemetery from inside the building. The white granite contrasts with the blue and green of the natural world outside the…
Colored Light and Reflections, Bellefontaine Cemetery
There is a new mausoleum at Bellefontaine Cemetery, whose owners wish to remain anonymous until the first interment. All cemetery staff and contractors who worked on the project are sworn to secrecy, but we can tell the famed firm of Emil Frei & Associates designed and produced the beautiful stained glass windows that were commissioned…
Details, Busch Mausoleum
I’ve done details of the Wainwright and Lemp mausolea in the past, so I turned to the Busch Mausoleum next. The famous phrase by Gaius Julius Caesair, Veni, Vedi, Vici, was spoken after his defeat of Pharnaces II of Pontus, not during the conquest of Gaul, as is commonly misunderstood.
Around the Benton and Hoppe Graves, Bellefontaine Cemetery
Around the Hoppe and Benton graves there are some other very old and interesting family plots that I had never seen before, so I grabbed some quick photos. I also went around and photographed some of the parts of the cemetery that I frequently visit, as well. I never noticed that this family plot below…
Bellefontaine Cemetery, Nighttime
Jason Gray and I were recently given the opportunity to do some late afternoon and evening night photography at Bellefontaine Cemetery. Here are some of my shots. Jason did many more and better photographs that you’ll see in the future.
McLean Mausoleum, Bellefontaine Cemetery
I’ve always enjoyed the McLean Mausoleum in Bellefontaine Cemetery. It’s perhaps an understated example of the Egyptian Revival in funerary architecture in local cemeteries, but there are other reasons I like it. The most obvious being, if you look closely, is that the obelisk towering over the mausoleum sits above thin air, as the window…
Bellefontaine Cemetery, Winter 2021
I took a look around Bellefontaine Cemetery in early January, when the winter had set in, leaving the grounds in their stark but beautiful appearance for the season. I went back the Saturday in mid-February after the big snow and frigid snow, and checked out the cemetery again, and caught some nice vistas across the…
Heny Vahlkamp and St. Matthew’s Cemetery
I recently wrote about the fascinating figure of Henry Vahlkamp, who worked for the Lemps from 1870 into the 1920s, making him one of the longest serving member of the brewery, far longer than every member of the family save William J. Lemp, Sr., whose length of service is a bit cloudy since he arrived…
Concordia Cemetery
According to this tombstone-shaped plaque, the roots of Concordia Cemetery go back to some of the earliest burial grounds in St. Louis. Located off of what is now Bates Avenue, this cemetery would have been far out in the country. The star, of course, is the Walther Mausoleum, which could really be best described as…