Druid Ridge Cemetery in Pikesville, Maryland is home to some of the state's most prominent families and sculptures by such renowned artists as Han Schuler, Eduard L. A. Pausch, and the Tiffany Studio. It is also home to the local folklore figure of "Black Aggie", a supposedly haunted statue that sat at the grave of Felix Agnus until 1967 when it was donated to the Smithsonian. If you visit this beautiful 200 acre park, please make sure to plan several hours to appreciate all that it has to offer- everything from a lake to the gorgeous mausoleum.

Notable memorials are the Gail Memorial, aka "Clotho", the Coates Memorial by Hans Schuler, and the Marburg Tomb, featuring a very poignant scultpure of Icarus. Several prominent or interesting graves will be given their own pages here on The Ossuary, but for now please enjoy this gallery presented "as is."

Druid Ridge Cemetery
7900 Park Heights Avenue
Pikesville, Maryland 21208

On November 3, 2013 I finally found the time to wander the United Hebrew Cemetery near my home. It has a strong park-like atmosphere, and only a few crypts. A Holocaust memorial is set aside near the front gate. There are numerous "tree" style markers, traditionally used for the graves of men who died young. There are a few children's graves near the roots of an old tree. The tree is slowly pushing the graves up, and there are numerous concrete and brick 'covers' over the turned graves. The cemetery is still active, so if you visit please respect any markers which are still covered during the Kaddish period.

United Hebrew Cemetery
3901 Washington Boulevard
Halethorpe, MD 21227

On April 29, 2012 I found myself at the Westview Cemetery in Farmville, Virginia. The cemetery is a small one, flanked on either side by shopping centers, but well shaded under a dense canopy of old and mossy trees. The day was raining, foggy, and cold, and it shows in the pictures. One grave is given prominence, that of Beverly Randolph- the Eighth Governor of Virginia. Randolph served as Governor of Virginia from 1788 through 1791. He died on February 7, 1797 which makes this grave one of the oldest I've visited. The other grave which was notable to me was due to it being utterly anonymous- that of an old black servant to Howell Edmunds Warren and his family. Their servant is buried behind the family, under the inscription "Our Faithful Ole Mammy d. 8-20-1902."

According to rumor, special permission was obtained from the town to bury a black woman in the cemetery. If only they'd seen fit to actually tell the world her name.

Located at 3620 Wilkens Avenue in Baltimore Maryland, the Loudon Park Cemetery is home to some of the best memorials I have seen. Fine Victorian bronzes and many tombs, crypts, and a receiving mausoleum are present. The cemetery is 350 acres of beautiful statuary and markers. The towering Weissner memorial is the highlight of my visit. It is a 35 foot tall limestone memorial for one of Baltimore's brewing families. One tomb, the Weiskittel-Roehle vault appears to be made of stone, but is actually entirely made of cast iron and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Notable people buried at Loudon include H.L. Mencken, Jack Chalker, and Mary Young Pickersgill.

It seems that despite over a century of progress, not much has changed the gullibility or naivety of the consumer. One can find magnetic rings and breast enlargers for sale even now. What was once a catalog business has moved to the Internet, but the products are still as useless as they were in the nineteenth century.

From time to time I come across bleak and desolate areas in my travels. I feel compelled to record them. In this gallery you will find crumbling houses, towns being devoured by kudzu, derelict industry, and abandoned centers of commerce.

During the late 19th century photographic portraiture was often an expensive luxury. Few people would have their photographs taken except upon very special occasions. One of those occasions may well have been shortly after their death. Families who could afford to do so would have photographs of recently deceased kin taken as a keepsake. For many, this would be the only photograph of them. Corpses were often posed to give the impression that the subject was asleep. Children were frequently posed with siblings or favorite playthings. The look of horror and confusion on the faces of the living children is obvious.

The photos in this gallery are from sources scattered and varied. Some are from private collections, some from auction catalogs, and others are from archives predating the World Wide Web. I make no assertion of ownership or copyright for these images. These images were once compiled in one very large image gallery, but were separated into three separate galleries to reduce loading times.

During the late 19th century photographic portraiture was often an expensive luxury. Few people would have their photographs taken except upon very special occasions. One of those occasions may well have been shortly after their death. Families who could afford to do so would have photographs of recently deceased kin taken as a keepsake. For many, this would be the only photograph of them. Corpses were often posed to give the impression that the subject was asleep. Children were frequently posed with siblings or favorite playthings. The look of horror and confusion on the faces of the living children is obvious.

The photos in this gallery are from sources scattered and varied. Some are from private collections, some from auction catalogs, and others are from archives predating the World Wide Web. I make no assertion of ownership or copyright for these images. These images were once compiled in one very large image gallery, but were separated into three separate galleries to reduce loading times.

While visiting an odd little antiques store in Farmville, Virginia I purchased a curious collection of family photos dating to the late 1800's. Sadly, there is no other information about the subjects or of the photographer and his son.

On the night of September 9, 2007 I dreamt of a machine to collect, focus, and manifest malevolence. It was a gorgeous machine. It spoke to me. In the dream it spoke in whispers and clicks. In the dream I saw the parts of the machine in detail and tried hard to remember them.