Cemeteries aren’t just for Dead People!


I know some people think cemeteries are a bit creepy and perhaps they are on a foggy night at 3am, but Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio is the most beautiful cemetery I’ve ever visited!  My fellow travel and photography friend…Simone and I met there yesterday morning to take some photographs.  I’ve only been there a few times, so it was a treat to walk around the lakes and discover lush, peaceful and absolutely gorgeous landscapes and capture reflections of the miscellaneous buildings, mausoleums and monuments.

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I bought the same camera that Simone has…a Nikon D5100 with an 18-200mm lenses, so I’m looking forward to comparing our perspectives of the same place!

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With 733 acres, Spring Grove Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in the United States and was chartered in 1845.  It is one of  only seven cemeteries that have been designated as a National Historic Landmark!  My Aunt is buried there and my mother’s ashes are sprinkled there!

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There are walking tours, family nights and other types of special events held at the exquisitely landscaped cemetery!  My hiking club has held many hikes on the paths.  There is a 5K route that is popular!

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You can sense the magical and spiritual essence while strolling through the picturesque lawns…

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An unnamed artist once said of the Cemetery…”Only a place with a heart and soul could make for its dead a more magnificent park than any which exists for the living.”

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I’ll wager a lot of brides want their photos taken in the Cemetery…unless they think it’s creepy!

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This is the monument to Charles West…the founder of the Cincinnati Art Museum.  There are quite a few notable people buried here…including civil war Generals, Revolutionary War soldiers, and families such as the Kroger (grocery store) and Procter (Procter and Gamble).

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We’d only been taking photographs and walking around for about an hour before it started sprinkling.  Being the hardy travelers that we are, we didn’t let that stop us…out came the umbrellas!

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Spring Grove Cemetery should be top on your list of “to go to” places when you visit Cincinnati!

 

39 thoughts on “Cemeteries aren’t just for Dead People!

  1. Lovely places to end one’s days. It would be nice if more cemeteries were cared for like this. Cemeteries in Denmark are a delight to walk around, like your photos, however, here, in Australia, most are unkempt and gloomy 😦

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  2. I love cemeteries although so odd it might sound. After visiting Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris my enthusiasm grew to them Cemeteries are full of history, art and the beauty of nature.

    Your photos are great. It seems that You are using the same lens than I 18-200mm.

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  3. Beautiful pictures, as always. We visit a lot of cemeteries for Nerd Trips. One cemetery tour said that people in the Victorian Age picnicked in cemeteries as they were often the only green space in cities.
    I will add this to my to-do list if I get back to Cincinnati. Also, I know I asked you before, but what camera do you use. I am heading on vacation in a few weeks and need to replace my camera. Thanks. Sharon

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  4. This place is phenomenal. I love this quote, “Only a place with a heart and soul could make for its dead a more magnificent park than any which exists for the living.” It couldn’t be more spot on. Cemeteries have long fascinated me and I once started photographing them to make a “coffee table” photography book of them but I have never seen one like this. Definitely a must see.

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  5. I love walking around a cemetery. When life isn’t going so well it’s a great reminder that I would rather be above ground than under it!

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  6. My mother often took me to her father’s (my grandfather’s) gravesite and it was a positive thing because we both loved him. I thought the cemetery was beautiful and I was always a bit disappointed with the negative “creepy” hype that modern movies have encouraged about cemeteries.

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  7. Sherry, you are right. It is a favorite spot for bridal party photographs. I have pictures from m a n y years ago, when I was a flower girl in my cousin’s wedding. My favorite one if the entire bridal party on the bridge.

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