Confessions of a Cemetery Fan

Jefferson Barracks Cemetery

As a young child, I was taken to cemeteries to "decorate the graves" of my relatives in De Soto. My parents both enjoyed history, so our infrequent vacations were to historical sites and cemeteries: Lincoln's tomb in Springfield, IL; Arlington National Cemetery; Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery; historic cemeteries in Boston. My parents found cemeteries a wealth of information and history.

So, I grew up thinking of cemeteries as being like historical parks. In high school, I was in "Our Town"---basically it took place in a cemetery with dead people reminiscing (I'm on the left in the front row of the top photo---the bottom photo shows the "cemetery"). After that, I often imagined the dead sitting in chairs like in "Our Town" chatting about the events of their lives.
In college, I even went to a cemetery that over-looked the Mississippi River for peace, solitude and to study.

Old Lorimer Cemetery, Cape Girardeau, MO

I do love the National Cemeteries: I've been to Arlington, Jefferson Barracks (where my parents and Dave's dad is), Punch Bowl in Hawaii, but the Japanese cemetery (below) was also very interesting in Hawaii.

National Cemetery on Oahu (Punchbowl)

I especially love the small, forgotten cemeteries---such wonderful treasures can be found. One off of Manchester Rd. has a Revolution Era soldier; another in Chesterfield is surrounded by a subdivision and has the names of several prominent families. The beautiful, small cemetery below is in Avoca, Jefferson County, Mo.

Avoca Cemetery

The area "fenced off" is an area where relatives of mine are buried.
I must not be the only Cemetery Fan---I'm supposed to go on a Cemetery Tour of St. Louis at the end of May.