Bellefontaine Cemetery: customs

A "Perpetual Mourner" may be a young woman or an angel.

Several of us took a Parkway School District Tour of St. Louis cemeteries. My favorite was the first one we visited which was Bellefontaine Cemetery consisting of 350 acres and 13 miles of winding roads. One fact we were all pretty surprised to hear was that this was where there was the greatest diversity of trees--not the Botanical Garden. Along the way we heard a lot about the cemetery culture as well as St. Louis history.

Many family plots originally had wrought iron fences around them. Most of these fences were pulled up and given to the war effort during World War II. This is one of the few remaining in Bellefontaine Cemetery which the family must continue to maintain.

Some family plots have steps leading to the plot. In the Victorian era, families wanted their family plots to reflect their wealth and class. They had steps that led to their house and felt that steps should also lead to their family's final resting place.

Some families have graves which encircle an oblisk which simply marks the family plot. But, it did resemble campers around a campfire.

Tiffany window in the Lemp mausoleum

Other families, like the Lemp's (at one time our biggest Beer Brewing family) have large mausoleums. The Lemp's even have a beautiful Tiffany window in theirs.But my favorite was the Wainwright Mausoleum designed by Louis Sullivan. From the moment I saw it at a distance, I could tell this was something special. So, I wasn't surprised when the tour bus stopped in front of it (there were at least a dozen mausoleums in this area)Even the little window on the side was interesting---notice the "frame".

It has beautiful exterior gates and interior doors.

Our tour guide said there are beautiful mosaics inside, but the doors are only open a few times a year for architecture students.