Unique Graves?

Submitted by nesquiksand2 t3_106m4vt in pittsburgh

My girlfriend and I like to walk around cemeteries every now and then, and it's always interesting to find a unique grave. We know about titty sphinx, and there's a unique one in east Carnegie with a hammock and mailbox. Has anyone else found anything interesting? Can be historical or just an interesting headstone or whatever!

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citylifeadventures t1_j3h7xa6 wrote

There’s a shark one in Allegheny Cemetery!

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EnragedAmoeba t1_j3iprsm wrote

Came here to say this... anyone know the story behind the Jaws-stone?

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MisanthropicFriend t1_j3jb0on wrote

“The guy just really liked the movie.” -some old head from the cemetery listening to some jams.

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ScratchMoore t1_j3h7mnt wrote

Andy Warhol’s grave is in Castle Shannon/Bethel Park right off of 88 at Conner Rd.

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pittsburgh924 t1_j3m4odh wrote

There's a webcam and you can use it to take a selfie while you're there.

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g0tistt0t t1_j3hk6q9 wrote

The titty sphinx

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[deleted] t1_j3iwv4u wrote

If Pittsburgh had it's own money it's what should be on it

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Watchyousuffer t1_j3m1sb0 wrote

probably not though, as its an exact duplicate of another mausoleum in new york

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DeliciousCriticism94 t1_j3hsigm wrote

Homewood Cemetery is nice and interesting. Go up to Evans City cemetery to see where scenes from Night of the Living Dead were filmed

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arguchik t1_j3m694r wrote

I like the big pyramid crypt in the Homewood Cemetery.

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[deleted] t1_j3h92rp wrote

Eben Byers - buried in Allegheny Cemetery. Go read up on what killed him.

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ppmiaumiau t1_j3hrx3w wrote

You can find Billy Mays' grave in Mt. Calvary cemetery in McKees Rocks. There's nothing necessarily unusual about the grave itself, but it's Billy Mays. Oh and his picture is on it.

Plus it's a lovely cemetery to explore.

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chrisfyb t1_j3iok0h wrote

Dang. I totally forgot he is from, and buried here!

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[deleted] t1_j3ix2nl wrote

lol why Billy Mays vs like Andy Warhol or Mac Miller?

The oxy laundry guy!?

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ppmiaumiau t1_j3jsuyw wrote

OP said unique. Warhol and Mac Miller? Like going to New York City just to see Times Square.

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chartreuse6 t1_j3hz51d wrote

There’s one shaped like an egg and one like a pyramid on cemetery lane

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NSlocal t1_j3m0kxo wrote

The egg tomb is my friend's, who previously owned Isaly's in West View and got the nickname Eggman. He is still with us, his wife sadly passed about 10 years ago. The pyramid has been gone since last spring and was indeed the marker for the nearby grave of Charles Taze Russell, founder of the Jehova's Witnesses.

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arguchik t1_j3m6dvq wrote

There is a pyramid crypt in Homewood Cemetery.

EDIT: It was still there when I walked through a couple of weeks ago, anyway.

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NSlocal t1_j3m7dng wrote

Right, different pyramid. The one I was responding about was much smaller than Homewood Cemetery pyramid and was removed due to being vandalized again.

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arguchik t1_j3mg40m wrote

Gotcha! Thanks for clarifying. Sad to hear about the vandalism though.

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the_zechman t1_j3m01an wrote

The egg belonged to the former owner of Isalys in West View

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RagnarHedin t1_j3h8x5u wrote

The Jaws headstone in Allegheny Cemetery.

There's a very old cemetery by the river next to the power plant in Springdale (google says it's called St. Mark's), but I don't think you can get to it anymore.

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FrankF412 t1_j3j3o35 wrote

Finley Cemetery in Bethel Park. It is two graves in someone’s front yard on Broughton road across the street from the South Park BMX track.

This family farm cemetery comprises two graves of early Allegheny County pioneers, John Finley (b. June 2, 1759, d. March 25. 1846), and his wife, Margaret Roland Finley (b. November 16, 1758, d. February 12, 1841). John and Jane Finley brought 11 children into the world at this location.

John Finley served six months in the Revolutionary War in the Maryland Flying Camp company raised by Captain James Maxwell in Cecil County, Maryland and saw service during the Army's defensive retreat through the Jerseys following its defeat at New York. His grave bears memorial plaques placed by the U. S. Army and the Daughters of the American Revolution and cites his service as a drummer for the Maryland Troops.

In addition to extensive farm lands in Allegheny County, John Finley owned significant acreage in Washington County, Pa. including the site Finleyville, Pa. which was named in his honor.

https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2664860/finley-cemetery

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ddesigns t1_j3i5trv wrote

Resurrection Cemetery in Moon has Damian's grave.

>Resurrection Cemetery is in Moon Township and on the far edge of the cemetery stands a mysterious grave. The headstone reads: “Damian. This is not goodbye, just so long.” Visitors to the cemetery have been said to see red eyes looking out from the stone between the angles of the cross (which is carved upside down) in the stone. On the day before Halloween years ago four men visited the grave. They shouted horrible things and vandalized the grave. The fourth man felt guilty and condemned the actions and he was the only one that made it home that night—the other three died in a car accident.

Interesting headstone also.

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zeroes_and_ones_ t1_j3ixdb2 wrote

My sibling is buried in the same section and I always get bad vibes from the Damian grave.

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guyonlinepgh t1_j3j8u3a wrote

Homewood Cemetery has Pie Taynor, baseball player whose number was retired by the Pirates. It's a short distance from Errol Garner's grave. Somewhere in there is John Heinz too, senator killed in a helicopter accident. There are a few unusual markers there, there's a strange carved stone sculpture near the front entrance.

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apersello34 t1_j3io3dl wrote

If you like hiking, there’s an old colonial cemetery along the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail.

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jimmike9799 t1_j3imfpl wrote

My favorite is in Warren, PA. The tombstone is the rock that fell on, and killed, the deceased

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lostjules t1_j3lp74a wrote

Not surprising Warren has the weirdest of anything

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hippo16271 t1_j3ilhq9 wrote

The Allegheny Cemetery in Lawrenceville has a ton of interesting graves. They have resources on their website and Wikipedia has an extensive list of notable internments. It’s 300 acres and is also used as a park.

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1029Dash t1_j3hyds2 wrote

On Cemetery Lane in Ross there is grave shaped like a egg

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Elouiseotter t1_j3hohwy wrote

McKeesport & Versailles Cemetery is an interesting one to check out. It is on the older side and has some great views.

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wackywife823 t1_j3hzt5b wrote

Chartiers Cemetary has one from the Civil War shaped like a tent.

Edit: not crafton

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dreadmonster t1_j3ih321 wrote

There's one on cemetery Hill that reads "Hey, have a nice day." On the back of it which I always enjoy.

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Waterford22 t1_j3jlyh2 wrote

When walking through Homewood Cemetery, I amuse myself by spotting all the headstones with the name of a well-known company/road/borough/township/industrialist etc. Someone mentioned Heinz, but H. C. Frick and his family, the Mellons, Hillmans, Benedums are also there. The Browns—as in Brown’s Hill—are in that big pyramid at the top of a hill. So many fascinating stories!

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sockar101 t1_j3i31hl wrote

Herr’s Cemetery is a civil war-era cemetery with some really old gravestones. Nothing “unique” about the stones, just that they are exceptionally old. It’s in Hampton at the Hampton/McCandless border.

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gracefulnesto t1_j3k1foq wrote

My dad told me stories about this one that are haunting. I live right by it but don't dare go near it.

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SqHill t1_j3m50jj wrote

At Allegheny Cemetery you can find:

Abraham Lincoln and his wife Winona Lincoln

Mother Cashdollar

Baum (of Baum Boulevard) and Roup (of Roup Avenue)

Plus the Jaws tombstone and titty sphinx that have already been mentioned

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SwimShady20 t1_j3ibi2g wrote

Bowling one in the Sewickley cemetery. Kinda out of the way tho

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firesidepoet t1_j3imror wrote

If you're up for a bit of a day trip the Grandview Cemetery in Johnstown is very interesting. It's huge, and has tons of very old graves and cool monuments. My friend and I spent a whole day walking around trying to find the oldest grave. There's some interesting parts focused around the Johnstown Flood.

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TheMountainHobbit t1_j3iwrj7 wrote

All sorts of interesting stuff in Allegheny cemetery

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plastikstarzz t1_j3jnh3z wrote

Jefferson has Honus Wagner’s grave

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semcdwes t1_j3jql58 wrote

I was surprised it took so long to get to this answer given what a sports town Pittsburgh is. You frequently find baseballs left at the grave.

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BlueBunnie5 t1_j3kc0j1 wrote

Check out findagrave.com!

I love the Jewish cemetery in McKees Rocks by StoRox.. very unique.

Also titty sphinx.. never heard of that one! Where is it?

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sittingonmyarse t1_j3l7yoh wrote

Allegheny Cemetery has some celebrities- Stephen Foster and others. It’s huge.

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PersonalAd2039 t1_j3iw96b wrote

Mt wood cemetery in wheeling. Worth the drive.

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zeroes_and_ones_ t1_j3iwxyt wrote

There are some odd and really old graves in the very back near the woodline at St. Marks in Kennedy.

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AHorseNamedMischief t1_j3jlnqz wrote

Calvary Cemetery in Greenfield has the Riddler's grave.

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psychopompandparade t1_j3ki2yz wrote

There's a weird amount of egyptian themed mausoleums at homewood cemetery. No idea what that's about. Lots of mausoleums, generally - not something all cemeteries have. Some of the epithets are pretty wild, too.

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Shad0wFaxMachine t1_j3kldr7 wrote

I don’t have anything additional to add but I think you’d like r/cemeteryporn

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lostjules t1_j3lpj4d wrote

There’s a man’s grave in the Catholic cemetery in Carrick that lists his name, birth and death years and a line “too much war” which is the saddest tombstone I’ve ever seen.

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fansofomar t1_j3indfq wrote

There’s that egg one you can see on Cemetery Road in Ross

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hissyloris t1_j3oz8ep wrote

Look up the old state hospital cemeteries (Dixmont and Mayview/Morganza are local). Even if the hospital is knocked down and land has been sold say to Walmart or South Point the cemeteries remain, under pa law. They’re something and there old enough you can read the records in public search. Many list the cause of death as “general paresis of the insane”.

Edit- a word and also check in the Polk State School.

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gbw5027 t1_j3ka9g4 wrote

Please be respectful of every grave you visit. These are real people under those stones. Not just for your pleasure but they deserve respect. I like walking the graves too and praying for the departed. That being said, Andy Warhol’s grave would be a good one to visit. Art Rooney’s grave is in Peters Twp.

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TrentWolfred t1_j3kvb9b wrote

It’s important to be respectful of, and not damage, any property that isn’t yours, but one needn’t be reverent of buried organic matter. Those were real people, and now they’re on their way to becoming dirt again.

Allegheny Cemetery is one of the most beautiful (and my personal favorite) of all the parks in the city. It’s close to where I live and I love jogging and walking through it. I’m not going to go dancing on graves, but I’m also not going to avoid stepping on top of them, on rare occasion, because of someone else’s unfounded superstition.

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gbw5027 t1_j3pk84c wrote

I just try to be respectful of the dead and of any relatives that might be visiting. There’s plenty of places for me to exercise so that I’m not stepping on someone’s grave. I try to be respectful of everyone’s views and even, as you would say, their “unfounded superstitions”. It isn’t hard to be a nice person and respectful of everyone’s beliefs.

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