London's Highgate Cemetery

Gorgeous workmanship on the tombstones and a great history lesson at London's Victorian Highgate Cemetery.

I SEA DEAD PEOPLE ... Wonderful Resting Placing

Okay, this may seem a little quirky or strange, but I am so enamoured at this idea, I have to share. Check out The Neptune Memorial Reef ; which is an environmentally friendly alternative to the traditional funeral and cemetery burial that we have all come to know so well.

This resting place is under water where there is still life ... so it can make death more of a celebration of life. Think about it, it is life after life. You are giving after leaving this earthly plane. There are currently over 100 souls there now. This reef not only provides an extraordinary eternal resting place for the departed, but it was constructed to regenerate life in the ocean. If you are a beach lover you can appreciate the fact that we take a lot from our environment while we live. Here's an opportunity to give something back.

The reef is located 3.25 miles east of Key Biscayne in Miami, FL - GPS coordinates N25º 42.036', W80º 05.409' - the Reef is the largest man-made reef ever conceived. Over 16 acres of barren ocean floor is being transformed. The first phase is a classical recreation of the Lost City, 40 feet under the sea. The natural surroundings in which the structures were placed have produced a marine habitat to promote coral and marine organism while creating the ultimate ‘Green Burial' opportunity.

A recent marine study conducted by the Department of Environmental Resource Management [DERM] concluded that marine life around the reef has gone from the zero to thousands in two years. In addition to providing a permanent legacy for those who loved the ocean, the Neptune Memorial Reef is attracting recreational scuba divers, marine biologists, students, researchers and ecologists from all over the world. And, believe it or not, there is no charge to visit the reef.

Recent marine monitoring study conducted in December 2008 by DERM (Department of Environmental Resources Management) revealed that 1625 fish of 35 different species were observed in 14 different fish counts at different locations within the NMR vs. 1027 fish of 29 different species in March 2008. An increase of over 60% in only 9 months!"

With 6 rings and 8 "spokes", the completed project will cover 16 acres of the seafloor, 3 ¼ miles off Key Biscayne in 45 feet of water.

With 6 rings and 8 "spokes", the completed project will cover 16 acres of the seafloor, 3 ¼ miles off Key Biscayne in 45 feet of water.

Think of it this way .... if you always wanted to retire in Florida, you can do it for free after the first installment : )

Dog's Tombstone Get's People Barking Mad!

Here’s how a tombstone of a pet dog get some people really upset:

When Judy Hagan lost her beloved rat terrier she bought two plots at the local cemetery, one for her and one for her dog. Eight years later she decided that it was time to put a memorial stone at the dog’s grave. And that has stirred up a lot of controversy, because the dog has a name that some people say are not appropriate for display on a tombstone…

The dog’s name? Shithead.

Link - via Boing Boing

Northstar Gallery ... Great Selection of Cemetery Art

Interesting site: Northstar Gallery. Great photos by a person who photographs memorial and cemetery art from around the world. This project explores the conscious and unconscious themes and symbolic content of the art. At issue is of course man's struggle with transcendence and his own mortality. As the project progressed, he began to discover many very sensual images of beautiful young women depicted in the memorial art in the cemeteries Intriguing questions emerged around the significance of this particular art form in the cemetery. How is it that these very powerful images have come to offer solace at times of loss, what is the significance of the link between Thantos and Eros in this very powerful art form? These questions have launched an extended research project on the issue. The research continues, however to date the following information and insights have emerged. I would greatly welcome viewer comments on this work. It is my intent that this project will emerge as a book in the near future. To view more classic memorial art click here.

The "Drake Cabin" - Log Cabin Tomb Stone... Interesting

Fabulous workmanship and interesting story. First found it on Neataorama, but then had to dig to get more info. Quite fascinating. Ole Rustard built it, and in the end, it also killed him.

According to Neatorama reader Eric Purkalitis, who wrote:

"I love the clothespin tombstone you wrote of recently. I live in Denver and there is a really strange cemetery tucked away in the industrial part of town. The link is to a photo of my favorite grave marker, a reproduction of a log cabin. There are many interesting graves at Riverside Cemetery, but the interesting part is the story behind it.

Riverside Cemetery was created to relocate the graves from Denver City Cemetery, which had become dilapidated. Go figure City Cemetery contained the graves of Denver’s elite and was smack in the middle of the wealthiest part of town.E.F. McGovern was hired to move the graves, but was caused a scandal by piling up multiple bodies together in the new graves. It’s unclear whether he actually matched all of the bodies with their markers.

Denver City Cemetery went on to become Cheesman Park. Adjacent to the park the city erected the Denver Botanical Gardens. Every once in a while the Gardens still dig up old caskets. If the people in the park only knew."

My question is, "Whose under it?" (The Neatorama Picture didn't show the name) So of course I had to Dig, Dig, Dig.... And here is the answer -- it is called the "Drake Cabin."

The Denver Public Library Western History Department has some great pictures of the cemetery archived. The art in the park is beautiful and much of it is in need of proper attention.
The Drake Cabin is very cool and was made, I believe, in a stone studio at 36th and Blake. The caption of the photo posted here reads:“In the older part of Riverside Cemetery is a small replica of a log cabin complete with the needs of that day, shovel, pick-axe, etc. It was carved by a well-known early Denver sculptor, Norwegian born Ole Rustad. His niece, Bertha L. Baerresen, says she remembers when it was delivered to Riverside on a flat-bed wagon. It was cut from a large rock and very heavy, of course, and as it was being unloaded, one of the men who was helping stumbled, throwing much of the weight onto her uncle injuring his back. As a result of the accident, her uncle (her mother’s brother) died a short time later. Miss Baerresen, standing beside the cabin in the upper left picture gives an idea of the size of the cabin. The other photo shows the chimney at the back.”

"Don't Lie on my Grave and Weep For Me" ....at least that's what comes to mind : )

Beautiful ...

When he died, his wife commissioned a sculpture, an expression of love-NSFW .read more digg story

omnia says:
it is a really different headstone the story told to me is that this guy had a mistress and died overseas in her country - there was a dispute over claiming the body between the wife and the mistress, and the wife finally buried him hereshe commissioned an italian artist to sculpt a life size naked woman on top of his grave for some reason known to herthere is other bits to the story but I don't know what is true

Florida Passes Legislation Allowing Humans to Be Buried With Their Pets

Florida passed a piece of legislation that allows humans to be buried with their pets. Previously, funeral homes were prohibited from handling animal remains and ashes of humans and animals could not be co-mingled.

At the Best Friends Animal Hospital at Gateway, office manager, Rainy Hoy, said about half of their clients take home their pet’s ashes. “They just want to keep them. They’re like family to them,” Hoy said.

Fort Myers resident Joe Castrogiovanni wouldn’t consider euthanizing his 2-year-old dog Barkley to put him in the casket, but he would consider saving Barkley’s ashes.

“It may be a little weird, but he’s like the son I never had,” Castrogiovanni said.

Jay O’Shaughnessy, funeral director for Anderson Funeral Home of Fort Myers with more than 30 years’ experience, said he has received requests from clients wanting their loved ones to be buried with remains of their pet.

“It’s not a real new deal. We’ve done stranger things than that,” he said. “It’s always the family’s idea.” Complete article here.

He’s right, it’s not unusual. Urngarden has received several requests for urns large enough to contain the pet owner and the ashes of their cats or dogs. Or couples that have left instructions for their children to bury their ashes in the back yard with the family pets. (source)

"I BOO" .... errrr, I mean "I DO"

An Illinois couple has found their ideal wedding venue: A graveyard.

"The couple said that deep down a graveyard just seemed right...'People are going to think how they want...' [the groom] said. 'I’m not a freak or Satan worshipper or cult member. It just goes with our theme.'"

A theme that includes a refurbished hearse. At the same time as the wedding, a burial may also be scheduled.

"He said the graveyard offers a tranquility and thriftiness that he wants to be part of his small and private, traditional wedding."

The couple became engaged when the groom placed a sign saying "Will you marry me?" onto the side of his 1965 hearse. How could the bride refuse?

Taphophilia ... Morbid curiosities, Thanatology and more ....

Taphophilia - What an unusual site. Worth looking into ... kind of poetic. It is a site that serves as A repository of morbid curiositiesThanatology and Taphophile Issues, Cemetery, Funeral Industry and Death Related News. For example, learn about current news:

• Hollywood monsters
• The Death of Dracula
• Christies is auctioning off a mummy!
• Pimp my Coffin
• A message board

And quite a few other cool topics .... i.e., dictionary, cemetery art gallery and more. You could definitely spend some time reading all the news here ... might take your mind off the hereafter : )