Several groups of people stroll leisurely over rolling fields situated on a hilly peninsula that overlooks the San Diego Bay and Pacific Ocean. Some pause beneath the shade offered by the wind-shaped trees to enjoy the scenic setting and the view, which includes San Diego in the distance. While this would be a perfect spot to enjoy a picnic, rules prohibit that activity, along with biking, jogging and other recreational sports.
Instead, visitors to the site disperse throughout the grounds to participate in the primary reason they have come to this lovely spit of land. They stop to pay their respects and to honor some of the 112,000 military men and women who have been interred at Fort Rosencrans National Cemetery.
Originally this site was designated for military purposes by President Millard Fillmore in 1852 and named after a Union general in the American Civil War. It hosted a coastal artillery installation until 1945. Today it is emblazoned with row after row of tidy white headstones marking the final resting place of dozens of Medal of Honor recipients and other veterans.
While people usually visit a graveyard to recall and revere a lost loved one, burial locations around the country also attract adherents who drop by for other reasons. Many go to see the final resting place of a favorite celebrity, others to admire the unusual and unexpected beauty found at some cemeteries and some for other purposes.
Joy Neighbors, an author and cemetery blogger, has claimed that going to cemeteries is “akin to visiting a museum: an opportunity to enjoy rarely seen sculpture, intricate carvings and amazing architecture, all in a tranquil outdoor setting.”
According to Sue Slocum, associate professor of hospitality at George Mason University, “tombstone tourism” is a rich source for the history-curious. She notes that gravestones serve as monuments to the past, and the design and symbols carved into them relate information about the era in which they were produced.
Examples of this are evident in the historic cemeteries of New Orleans. Because of that city’s high water table, above-ground tombs have long been the norm there. They have provided an opportunity for creating designs that are architecturally, culturally and historically unique. Some demonstrate an ancient Roman influence, while others have motifs inspired by Greek, Egyptian, Gothic and other styles.
The mood is very different at many military burial places. Arlington National Cemetery combines the pristine appearance of row after row of simple white identification markers with the simple, solemn setting of President John F. Kennedy’s final resting place and the meticulous routine followed by soldiers guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
That famous memorial has been perpetually guarded since 1937 by members of the celebrated 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, who follow a meticulous routine. They march 21 steps south, turn left and pause for 21 seconds, turn left again, return to their starting point and repeat the exercise until being relived at the elaborate Changing of the Guard ceremony.
Americans who gave their life for their country also are remembered at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France. It honors U.S. troops who died in Europe during World War II and is located near the beaches where they and soldiers from other countries stormed ashore on June 6, 1944, to confront troops from Nazi Germany that occupied France at the time. Within two months they had liberated all of northern France, and historians mark that invasion as the beginning of the end of World War II.
The Road Scholar tour company conducts trips that include visits to the cemetery and last year launched a new program for military veterans. One participant said traveling with others who had served “provided a strong bonding experience,” and another reported that seeing the exact place where her uncle landed in Normandy “will forever be a lifetime highlight.”
Other cemeteries serve as the final resting place of actors, entertainers and other celebrities. Bette Davis (1908-1989), one of the most Oscar-nominated actresses of all time, is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park near Hollywood, California. Her epitaph matches the acerbic wit she often displayed onscreen: “She did it the hard way.”
“The Best Is Yet to Come” is the message on the headstone at Desert Memorial Park near Palm Springs, California, of the legendary singer Frank Sinatra (1915-1998). Despite his worldwide fame, the marker mentions only two accomplishments: “Beloved Husband and Father.”
Since 1899, Hollywood Forever in Los Angeles has welcomed hundreds of movie stars and visitors who come to see the elaborate mausoleums and more humble tributes. Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Douglas Fairbanks and Rudolph Valentino are among many familiar names. They share top billing with Terry, a Cairn Terrier who appeared in a number of movies. Her most famous role was a Toto in “The Wizard of Oz” (1939), the name with which she is identified at the cemetery.
(Photo courtesy of Kendall Severson/Dreamstime)
