October
is upon us…. a time for hauntings, Halloween – and all things spooky. This month, A Grave Interest takes a
look at several haunted cemeteries.
Get ready as we explore some ‘lively’ places, and the people who make
them so…….
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| Spring Grove Cemetery |
Spring
Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio is the second largest cemetery in the United
States. Founded in 1845 by the
Cincinnati Horticultural Society, it is comprised of 733 acres, but currently
only 400 acres are landscaped and in use. It was renamed Spring Grove Cemetery
and Arboretum in 1987.
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| Rock Bridge in Cemetery |
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| Bronze Sculpture |
Many
of the most notable figures from Cincinnati history are buried here, but some
remain a bit restless in this scenic “garden of paradise.”
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| Norman Chapel |
The
Norman Chapel, located just inside the main gates, is rumored to be
haunted. Designed in the
Romanesque Revival or Norman style by Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford, in
1879, the chapel is complete with gargoyle guards.
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| Norman Chapel @ Turn of Century |
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| Jail Bars |
Legend
has it that cries can be heard coming from the chapel basement at night. A holding cell was built in the
basement during the late 1800’s to jail those who were traveling too fast
through the cemetery. Drivers were
arrested, put in the jail cell, and held overnight. It is rumored that some still remain….
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| Dexter Mausoleum |
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| Edmund Dexter |
The
most eerie structure in the cemetery is the Dexter Mausoleum. It was built in
1869 as a private family mausoleum for whiskey baron, Edmund Dexter. The mausoleum boasts the only two
symmetrical flying buttresses in Cincinnati, and was constructed to resemble a
Gothic Revival funerary monument.
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| Dexter Mausoleum |
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| White Dog Statue in Cemetery |
Some
say that the mausoleum is guarded by two white dogs. Legend has it that if you sit on the steps of the mausoleum,
two white dogs will appear. They
may run past you, stop and quietly watch you, or stop and growl.
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| Optometrist’s Tools |
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| Breuer Monument |
The
strangest tale of the cemetery involves the grave marker of Charles C.
Breuer. Breuer was an optometrist
by trade. When he died in 1908, he
supposedly requested that his eyes be removed, put in glass, and placed in the
bronze bust likeness of himself, located on the side of the monument.
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| Breuer’s Brown Eyes |
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| Breuer Bronze Bust |
Other
stories report that Breuer requested glass eyes to match his own and had them
placed in the bronze bust that was mounted on his marker. It was his way of “keeping an eye on
things”, even after death. Regardless,
many people report feeling watched when they
are near the Breuer marker and some say the head has moved…
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| Interesting Stone |
There
are other reports of mists and wispy things passing by in the cemetery. When I was there on a rainy April day,
I heard footsteps approaching behind me.
When I turned, expecting to see my husband, no one was there. Only a slight breeze blew past quickly
and then all was quiet again.
Next
week we’ll visit one of the most haunted cemeteries in the United States.
~
Joy
The
There
