October 27 “Tricks or Treats”

On October 27th, 1275, The name of Amstelledamme (Amsterdam) was first documented by the Count of Holland, mentioning tolls for travelers going through. I have an interesting book on Amsterdam, “Liefde te Koop”, 2002.

It is written in Hollish, so I just look at the pictures. It is about the history of prostitution and the Red-Light District in Amsterdam.

I visited Amsterdam about 20 years ago, when I bought this book. Also saw the Anne Frank home, the”Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder” (Our Lord in the Attic hidden church), Rembrandt museum, several other museums of various illicit trade goods, and the Waag gatehouse built in 1488 as an entrance into the city, now a restaurant. There, bought a Heineken toast for the entire crowd (albeit small group being after midnight). The toast was to my grandmother, for just celebrating her 95th birthday. She would have a Heineken every day for lunch.

October 27th is Visit a Cemetery Day. I enjoy walking through cemeteries. I have a parent, grandparents, great grand-parents, and great, great-grandparents in my hometown cemetery. I too, will be buried there.

I have several books on famous cemeteries that I have had the privilege to visit. Let me start with Paris, and the book “Permanent Parisians-a guide to Cemeteries of Paris” by Judi Culbertson and Tom Randall, 1986. It gives details of all the cemeteries in Paris.

Also have “Père Lachaise: Elisium as Real Estate” by Frederick Browne, 1973. Père Lachaise cemetery is the most beautiful cemetery in Paris. Many, many beautiful crypts and statues are there.

Here are some Morrisons paying tribute to Jim Morrison.

Here is the grave of Victor Noir a journalist who died in 1870. Legend has it if you rub the statue’s bulge you will have a child within a year. Frankly, for this couple, it worked.

Also in Paris, visited an underground cemetery. I have the book “Catacombes” a guide to the history, and a walking tour of the catacombs.

Under Paris are miles of tunnels made from mining Lutetian limestone, a high quality stone used for making many of the Parisian buildings. Later, they house the remains of over 6,000,000 people, when Paris emptied the city cemeteries to the catacombs. In the late 1700’s, every night there would be wagonloads of bones moved. Large leg bones were used to make walls, with skulls as adornments. smaller bones were piled behind the walls. Each cemetery would have its own section in the tunnels.

Another place I traveled to that had wonderful cemeteries was New Orleans. I have the book “New Orleans” by Stuart M. Lynn, published in 1949. He spends a great deal of time on discussing the local cemeteries.

First cemetery we toured was St. Louis Cemetery No. One. This is a very old cemetery downtown. We saw some very old above ground burial sites. The back wall were some “baking crypts” or “oven tombs” where bodies were put into. The high heat in New Orleans would reduce the bodies to bones in about a year. They were then moved and other bodies put in. This wall is slowly sinking into the ground.

We also saw the burial site of a Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. If you scratched three X’s on the tomb, turn around three times, knock on the tomb, and shout out your wish, she would grant it. You would then have to return to circle the X’s and leave an offering, or bad things could happen to you.

We also went to Metairie Cemetery right on the outskirts of town. All the rich people were buried there. This is certainly the most beautiful cemetery in New Orleans. There are miles of unbelievable crypts, and statues. Let me show just a couple. First is the Morales-Arlington crypt. It was first designed and made by Josie Arlington, a leading Madam in New Orleans. Rumors are the statue is a doomed virgin entering the house of ill-repute. Many of New Orleans rich were upset that a prostitute would be buried in the rich man’s cemetery. She died February 14th, 1914.

She was only buried for about a month when her family’s squabble over money caused issues. The tomb was sold to the Morales family. Josies body was moved to an undisclosed place in the cemetery. Because of that, it is said that Josie Arlington haunts the crypt.

These children are morning at their aunt Babette Vonderbank’s crypt. There are staring at their uncle Ahren’s urn.

Another amazing crypt was that of the weeping angel at Emelyne and William Wetmorel’s final resting spot. *(see editor’s notes)

Lastly, is a family plot of the Krauss and Mailhes family. Each person’s tombstone is a book. There is a “bookshelf” of family buried.

So whether you enjoy the “tricks” of the Redlight district in Amsterdam, and ghost of Madam Josie Arlington in New Orleans, or the “treats” of fantastic sculptures, crypts and mausoleums – even actual skulls and bones when walking through cemeteries, keep your eyes open. There are beautiful things to see as a tombstone tourist.

Just don’t say when walking near a cemetery, “You know that the people that live around here, can’t be buried in this cemetery…They have to be dead first.”

And let’s “creep it real”, Cemeteries are not called a “Dead People Garden.”

*(Editor’s notes)

Thanks for pointing out the faulty research on this mauseleum. I had forgotton to write down the names when I took the picture at the cemetery. Then, when researching for the Weeping Angel. I mistakenly said that this was the grave of Emelyn and William Wetmorel Story (Even forgot his last name). Wetmorel Story was an American who moved to Italy. He was an artist. When his wife died in 1894, he made this statue. He died in 1895. That statue is outdoors in the Protestant Cemetery in Rome, Italy.

There are several copies made of this statue, including the one in New Orleans. That is the one I visited. It was made for Chapman H. Hyams and his wife Sara Lavinia Todd Hyams. She passed in 1914, and he in 1923. It is inside a mauseleum, and is covered by a blue hue from the stained glass on the back and side windows. It is very haunting.

An interesting note for me, is that Hyam’s wife had the name Lavinia. That is the same name that my great grandmother (whom I knew very well-she died in 1977, a month before my father died.) I had never heard of another with the name Lavinia.