And I mean that in the most literal sense possible.
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| View of the larger of two lakes at Lake View Cemetery |
The last time I visited a cemetery, I completely underestimated how much walking (and beaming sun exposure) I would be subjected to. Thinking I would be better prepared this time, I packed a bag with two bottles of water, fresh fruit, and some granola and had napkins to wipe sweat away. Silly me forgot that full water bottles and fruit weigh a LOT when you are lugging them around all day, so although I wasn't as thirsty or fatigued, my shoulders were not very pleased with my decision!
But don't let my poorly thought out plan sway you from the facts-
Lake View Cemetery is absolutely beautiful. I saw some unique and ornate tombstones. Many people will come here to see the graves of Cleveland's former elite class- I'm not from Cleveland so most of the names didn't mean much to me. There were some exceptions. The John D. Rockefeller Monument (yeah, THAT Rockefeller) is right next to the Garfield Tomb.
Garrett A. Morgan, famed African American inventor, is also buried at Lake View (sadly too far out of the way for me to walk to it and back to the front gate in time to catch my train to my next stop).
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| The Rockefeller Monument at Lake View |
There is a more detailed list of who's who and where on the Lake view website, but the most ornate and prominent of these burial sites is James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States.
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| Garfield Memorial in Lake View |
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| Statue of President Garfield in the main hall of the Memorial |
Although the building was a bit over run with flies, you can't deny the very detailed artistry put into this building (My non-sensical mind was just waiting for a zombie Garfield to pop out with maggots and flies buzzing around him. More realistically they were just trying to escape the heat like the humans were.) As ornate as the upper levels dedicated to his life and achievements are, the actual burial room/crypt is simple and plain (in comparison). I'm sure you can make some super deep reference to the fact that no matter what we do in this lifetime, we all are but simple dust in the end- or something like that.
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| Compared to the upper levels, the burial chamber was extremely plain |
I know this entry is getting a little long and stuffed with pictures, but there was one more major thing I saw in Lake View- the Wade Memorial Chapel.
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| Wade Memorial Chapel in Lake View Cemetery |
Built in 1901 in honor of the industrialist Jeptha Wade (who was a founder of the cemetery), this is a very simple and elegant building. It serves as the receiving chapel for new burials- and is rented out for small weddings according to the very informative guide that was stationed there.
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Center stained/painted glass window done by Louis Tiffany- son of the founder of Tiffany & Co.
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The walls are covered with delicately colored glass mosaics that depict a bunch of guys rowing while some other folks look on. This was explained to me as the left side representing the creation of God's Law in the Old Testament and the fulfillment of God's Law in the New Testament on the right.I was also told that these mosaics were assembled by Tiffany Glass Company (Louis' company founded before he joined back in with Tiffany & Co. in 1902 upon his father's death) and transported to Cleveland via the Erie Canal.
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| Right side of the Chapel walls, representing the New Testament |
That pretty much sums up my time at Lake View. I have at least two more Cleveland entries left for you, as well as a review of a neat website I found of a guy who has visited every Presidential grave. Every. Single. One. Pretty interesting if you ask me! My pictures are still on my
Facebook page (feel free to thumbs up me if you like my photos or just want to be nice!), and as always, I'll see you on the next adventure!
