NASHVILLE CEMETERY TOUR - "CAN EVERYBODY SEE ME ALL RIGHT"

 

I am continuing my Nashville Cemetery tour with a visit to the Hendersonville Memorial Gardens in Hendersonville, Tennessee. This is another cemetery that is the final resting place of a number of notable Country Music personalities.

It is a large cemetery that has all flat markers. I know where some of the graves that I am looking for are located but for the others I am going to be relying on the Find-A-Grave GPS Coordinates and hope that they are close to being correct.

I am going to start at the Mausoleum. There are 5 people resting here that I want to find.  And right after I walk through the front doors, I take a quick look around and spot all 5 crypts.

HOWARD JENKINS: Howard is the brother of Harold Jenkins who is better known as Conway Twitty. In the 1940’s the brothers formed a band named “The Phillips County Ramblers” and had their own show every Saturday Morning on radio station KFFA in Helena, Arkansas.  When Harold became Conway, Howard continued to perform as a member of Conway’s Band known as “The Twitty Birds.” He also performed with his brother every Saturday Night on the Grand Ole Opry.

MAE BOREN AXTON: Most people don’t know her name but they do know her songs. Mae Axton was known as the 'Queen Mother of Nashville.'  She wrote more than 200 songs, 14 of which made the charts. Her most notable song was the Elvis Presley hit "Heartbreak Hotel," which was number one on the pop charts for 8 weeks, the country chart for 17 weeks. Her influence contributed to the success of many musical careers including Mel Tillis, Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson, Eddy Arnold, and Tanya Tucker She was also the mother of country singer Hoyt Axton.

SHEB WOOLEY: Just above the crypt of Mae Axton is the crypt of Singer, Songwriter and Actor Sheb Wooley. Sheb was born in Erick, Oklahoma the same town as another notable country Music Star, Roger Miller. Sheb worked as a rodeo rider and then formed his own band and performed on radio stations WLAC and WSM in Nashville, Tennessee. Sheb enjoy a long career as an actor, appearing with Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly in the Classic Western, “High Noon” and with James Dean in “Giant.” He also joined Gene Hackman in the popular Basketball Movie, “Hoosiers.” On television, he played the role of 'Pete Nolan' in the popular "Rawhide" series from 1959 to 1966. In 1958, he released his most famous hit the novelty tune, "The Purple People Eater." The song went No. 1 on the pop charts and stayed there for six weeks.

JOHNNY RUSSELL: Right next to the crypt of Sheb Wooley is the crypt of Singer, Songewriter and Star of the Grand Ole Opry, Johnny Russell. As a songwriter, he is most famous for co-writing "Act Naturally," a song that was recorded by both Buck Owens and The Beatles. As a singer/songwriter it is known for such songs as “They Baptized Jesse Taylor,” “Catfish John,” and my favorite “Rednecks, White Socks, and Blue Ribbon Beer.” You would be hard pressed to find anyone in Nashville that would say anything bad about Johnny. He was known by many as "the big man with an even bigger heart" for both for being over 300 pounds and his pleasant, unselfish demeanor both on and off stage. He would start many of his performances by quipping, "Can everybody see me all right?" Johnny joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1985 and remained a member until his death in 2001.

CHARLIE WALKER: Just to the right of the crypts of Johnny Russell and Sheb Wooley is the crypt of Grand Ole Opry Star, Charlie Walker.  Charlie began is music career in the 1940’s performing with Bill Boyd’s Cowboy Ramblers in Dallas, Texas. Charlie’s first hit, "Only You, Only You" was co-written with Jack Newman and reached No. 9 on the country chart in January 1956. Charlie is perhaps best known for his hit, “Pick Me Up on Your Way Down,” which was written by Harlan Howard.  His other hits include "Who Will Buy the Wine", "Wild as a Wildcat", "Don't Squeeze My Sharmon", and "I Wouldn't Take Her to A Dogfight." Charlie Passed away from the complications of Cancer on September 12, 2008.

That’s about it for those resting in the Mausoleum here at the Hendersonville Memorial Gardens. This is a good place to end this post. Next time I am going to leave the mausoleum and move outside to the actual cemetery. There are about 10 graves that I would really like to find, Including Johnny and June Carter Cash, The Carter Family and Merle Kilgore. I know where to find them but some of the others were a little more difficult.

NASHVILLE CEMETERY TOUR - HERMITAGE MEMORIAL GARDENS

 

In my last post I started off my cemetery tour of Nashville with a visit to Spring Hill Cemetery where I visited the graves of a number of Grand Ole Opry Stars including the King and Queen of Country Music, The great Roy Acuff and Miss Kitty Wells.

In this post, I am going to continue my Nashville Cemetery Tour by traveling east of Nashville to the Hermitage Memorial Gardens. This 43-acre cemetery is located just stone’s throw from “The Hermitage,” which was the home of President Andrew Jackson.

This is a true memorial garden because it has all flat markers. That makes for a lot of walking. Most of the time before I visit any cemetery I search the Find-A-Grave Website for the graves that I want to try and find. A lot of the time the Find-A-Grave site will have GPS Coordinates that really helps me in locating the Graves.

But one thing you must keep in mind is that Find-A-Grave is supported by individuals who create and update individual memorials. Sometime this information including the GPS Coordinates is incorrect.

If the GPS Coordinates are correct, it can save me a lot of time. If they are not correct, I just hope that they can get me in the General Area where I don’t have to do too much walking. Most of the coordinates for this visit were correct.

Probably the most notable grave here at the Hermitage Memorial Gardens is that of the Ole Texas Troubadour himself, Ermest Tubb, who was born on February 9, 1914, in Crisp, Texas. In 1941 he recorded his biggest hit, “I’m Walking the Floor over You,” which led him to joining the Grand Ole Opry in February 1943.

He remained an Opry Member almost 40 years. Ernest was a heavy smoker for most of his life and in his later years he suffered from Emphysema. By early 1982 he was in such poor health that he was forced to retire. He passed away just a couple of years later on September 6, 1984.

Resting next to Ernest is his son, Justin Tubb who was also a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Justin was just 20 years old when he Joined the Opry on September 10, 1955. At the time he was the youngest member of the famed radio and stage show.

His biggest hit was “I was looking Back to See,” which he performed with Goldie Hill. In 1978 he recorded a song entitled, “What’s wrong with the Way we’re doing it Now.” The song defended Traditional Country Music and questioned the trend some people called “Urban Country.”  Some of the upcoming country music stars were offended by the song which led to Justin having a dispute with the Opry Management. As a result of the dispute Justin didn’t appear on the Opry for several weeks.

The dispute was eventually resolved and Justin not only returned to the Opry but his first night back actually sang the song.

Justin was not only a successful performer, he was also a successful songwriter, penning such hits as “Keeping up with the Jones,” and “Lonesome 7-7203.” Justin Tubb passed away on January 24, 1998, and was resting beside his parents.

Another Grand Ole Opry Performer resting in this cemetery is a long-time member of the Opry Staff Band, Hal Rugg who was a legendary steel guitar player.

Hal began his musical career working clubs and dance halls in Arizona, Illinois and Minnesota. In 1961 he moved to Nashville where his music is featured on hits sung by many country music stars including Loretta Lynn, Ronnie Milsap and George Jones.

In 1963 he began a sixteen-year career as a member of the Grand Ole Opry staff band. Later, he became a band leader for the many of the televised awards shows originating from Nashville. For seven years he was the music director for the Statler Brothers' TV Show and in 1989 he was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame.

Hal Rugg Passed away on August 9, 2005 at the age of 69 following a two-year battle with cancer.

NASCAR Driver Bobby Hamilton is entombed in one of the outdoor mausoleums here at the Hermitage Memorial Gardens. Bobby Hamilton was born here in Nashville on May 29, 1957. He began his racing career at the Nashville Speedway, racing weekly at the track. He went on to win the track championship in 1987.

Bobby joined the NASCAR Busch Series in 1988 and made his debut in the Winston Cup Series in 1990. That same year, he was asked to drive a stunt car for the motion picture "Days of Thunder."

 In 1991, he was Winston Cup rookie of the year, but his biggest success came as a driver and owner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series where he won the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Championship.

Just three years after winning the Truck Series Championship Bobby Hamilton passed away on January 7, 2007, from complications of cancer.

It’s always interesting when I run into another “graver” when visiting a cemetery. You can usually teel the difference between us and family visitors because we almost always have, cameras and a notebook.

Just as I was getting ready to leave, I was approached by an older gentleman who was accompanied by a young boy who I later learned was his grandson.

As we compared notes about the graves with had found, he pointed me to a name that I didn’t have on my list. Thanks to his kindness and great directions, I was able to find the grave of Rudolf Walter Wanderon Jr. who is better known by his nickname “Minnesota Fats.”

 

Rudolf Wanderone was born in New York in 1913. He started playing pool as a child and eventually dropped out of school and became a traveling pool hustler. Using the name 'Minnesota Fats,' he gained enough attention to star in a TV show where he would play one of the best pool players in the country, Willie Mosconi. Mosconi beat 'Minnesota Fats' soundly. For a few years, there were rematches on TV between 'Fats' and Mosconi. Each time Mosconi would beat 'Fats' without much trouble. These proved to be popular with television audiences and contributed greatly to his fame.

Minnesota Fats, for the lack of a better word, “a Pool Hustler”, and a master of self-promotion” He was perhaps the best-known pool player in the United States, despite of the fact that he never won a single major pool tournament.

Minnesota Fats died at the age of 82 on January 15, 1996. He continues his shameless self-promotion with the inscription on his grave marker. “Beat every living creature on earth, St. Peter, Rack’em Up. – Fats”

There are still a couple of other graves in this cemetery that I would like to Visit. So, next time I will try an find the graves of Professional Wrestler Steven Doll and Country Music star Joe Diffie who passed away during the COVID Epidemic.

Next post, I will continue my Nashville Cemetery Tour.  

NASHVILLE CEMETERY TOUR - VISITING THE KING & QUEEN OF COUNTRY MUSIC

One of the questions that I am asked most often is of all the cemeteries that I have visited which are the ones that I have enjoyed the most. Without a doubt, Arlington National Cemetery is at the top of the list.

Over the years I have visited Arlington more than a dozen times and visiting our nations most hallowed ground is always an emotional experience. Every single person who is buried in Arlington or any of our National Cemeteries are true heroes who paid the price for the freedom that we enjoy.

Outside of any of our National Cemeteries, there are several cemeteries that I have visited more than once and if given the opportunity I will visit again. So, what are some of my favorite cemeteries.

Nashville Tennessee is probably my favorite city for Cemeteries. Nashville is known as Music City and has a tremendous number of Country Music Stars buried throughout the Nashville Area.

There are several cemeteries in the Nashville Area that I visit every time I am in the area. One of the First cemetery that I almost always visit when In Nashville is Spring Hill Cemetery located a few miles north of Opryland and downtown Nashville.

Spring Hill is one of the most star-studded cemeteries in the Nashville Area and as you enter the cemetery you are greeted by the King of Country Music. The Grave of Roy Acuff, his wife Mildred and his parents are located just inside the entrance. 

From 1938 until his death in 1992, Mr. Acuff was not only a member of the Grand Ole Opry, but also the shows most popular ambassadors. Each week Roy Acuff and his Smokey Mountain Boys would thrill Opry fans with his signature song, “The Wabash Cannonball,” along with the first song he ever performed on the Opry, “The Great Speckled Bird.”

Roy Acuff was so beloved that when the Opry Moved from the Ryman Auditorium to a new building at Opryland in 1974, they also built him a home just outside the stage door of the New Opry House.

Just across the road from Mr. Acuff’s is the grave of Bluegrass star Jimmy Martin who is a member of both the Bluegrass and Country Music Hall of Fames. While Jimmy Martin performed several times on the Grand Ole Opry, strangely he was never invited to become an Opry Member.

Jimmy was known for his temper and his love of alcohol which fueled his volatile personality. He often found himself involved in confrontations with the Opry Management and other influential members of the Opry.

Located just to the left of the Grave of Roy Acuff are the graves of husband-and-wife duo, Kitty Wells and Johnnie Wright.  While Roy Acuff is known as the “King of Country Music,” Kitty Well was known as the “Queen of Country Music.”  Kitty’s Husband, Johnnie Wright performed with Jack Anglin to form popular duo known as Johnnie and Jack.  After Jack Anglin died in a car crash on the way to the Funeral of Patsy Cline, Johnnie joined Kitty and continued to perform on the Grand Ole Opry.

How fitting is it that both the King and Queen of Country Music are buried so close to each other at the entrance to Spring Hill Cemetery.

Just a short walk from the graves of Kitty Wells and Roy Acuff are the graves of two more Country Music Hall of Famers, Hank Snow and Earl Scruggs.

Hank Snow was a native of Canada where he made a name for himself as a country music performer. Hank was Invited to Join the Opry on January 7, 1950, on the recommendation of Ernest Tubb. During his 46-years on the Grand Ole Opry, “The Singing Ranger,” was known for such hit songs as “I’m Movin’ On,” “I Don’t Hurt Anymore,” and “I’ve Been Everywhere.”

On a side note, Hank and his wife lived here in Nashville, and today visitors can spend the night in their home as it is utilized as an Ari B and B.

Almost directly behind the Graves of Roy Acuff and Kitty Wells is the grave of banjo picker Earl Scruggs. Earl got his start as a member of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass boys where he met Guitar player Lester Flatt.  The two would leave the Blue Grass Boys and form their own group, Foggy Mountain Boys.

Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys were one of the most popular groups on the Grand Ole Opry and performed the popular Theme song for one of the Opry Sponsors, Marth White Flour.

Later, the Duo performed the theme songs for the “Beverly Hillbillies” and “Petticoat Junction,” TV Shows.

Earl Scruggs revolutionized the sound of the 5-string banjo by developing his unique three finger picking style. His style of picking made famous such tunes as “Earl’s Breakdown,”  “The Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” and the “Flint Hill Special.”

In my past visits I have made my way through this rather large cemetery and visited the graves of several other Country Music Stars who are buried in this cemetery. People Like:

Speck Rhodes, a Country Comedian who gained fame appearing with Porter Wagoner on both his TV Show and on the Grand Ole Opry.

George Morgan, who was one of the Grand Ole Opry’s most popular Stars. His signature sone was “Candy Kisses,” and his is the father of country Music Star Lorrie Morgan and the Father-in-Law of Keith Whitley who is also buried nearby.

Floyd Cramer was a self-taught pianist renowned as one of the architects of the "Nashville Sound." In 1955, he moved to Nashville and became one of the most sought-after session musicians in the city. He played on sessions for Roy Orbison, the Everly Brothers, Patsy Cline, Perry Como, Chet Atkins, Boots Randolph, and Elvis Presley. 

Pete Drake was one of country music’s best peddle steel guitar players. When he was 18 years old, he visited Nashville and became fascinated by the steel guitar sounds of musician Jerry Byrd. He returned home and built his own steel guitar and taught himself to play it. He formed his own band, "The Sons of the South" which included future country star musicians Joe South, Roger Miller, Doug Kershaw, Jerry Reed, and Jack Greene. In 1959 he moved to Nashville and started touring with Marty Robbins, and Don Gibson. But he soon gave up touring to focus on becoming a studio musician and working as a member of the Grand Ole Opry Staff Band.

Howard Forrester was a longtime member of Roy Acuff’s Smokey Mountain Boys, He is regarded as one of the best and most accomplished fiddle players in country music. In 1951, he joined Roy Acuff's "Smoky Mountain Boys," which became one of the most popular groups ever to appear on the Grand Ole Opry, and he remained with the group until his death.

Billy Walker was one of several Texas Honky Tonk singer that left Texas and eventually found success in Nashville. His career took off when he joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1960 and in 1962 recorded his first number one hit "Charlie's Shoes." Other number one hits included, "Cross the Brazos at Waco," "Word Games" and "When a Man Loves a Woman." He had over thirty top ten hits and was recognized by Billboard Magazine as one of the "Top Twenty" most played artists of all time. Known as "The Traveling Texan, he was killed, along with his wife and two band members, on an Alabama highway when their vehicle wrecked while returning from a concert.

There are several notable personalities resting in Spring Hill Cemetery that I haven’t visited. I hope to return for another visit in the Near future to visit the graves of such stars as:

Jimmy Capps, a noted guitarist who was a member of the Grand Ole Opry Staff Band for over 50 years.

Charlie Collins, a long-time member of Roy Acuff’s Smokey Mountain Boys.

Bunny Biggs, who was known as “Jamup” from the Grand Ole Opry Comedy Team, “Jamup & Honey.”

John Hartford, a Country, and Bluegrass musician who was also a noted song writer who is best known s probably best known for composing the popular song "Gentle on My Mind,"

Jan Howard, One of the Grand Ladies of the Grand Ole Opry. She was an Opry Member for over 50-years.

Jeannie Seely, another of the Grand Ladies of the Grand Ole Opry. She was an Opry Member for almost 60 years and was the first female member to regularly host and Opry Segment.

Keith Whitley, a popular country music star who was married to Lorrie Morgan, the daughter of Country Music icon George Morgan.

That will wrap up this visit to Spring Hill Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee. Next time I will visit another one of my favorite Nashville Cemetery’s

GREEN MOUNT CEMETERY - THE GRAVE OF JOHN WILKES BOOTH & OTHER

 

In my last entry, I told you that I am a Taphophile, or someone who is fascinated by cemeteries. I also talked about some of my rather unpleasant experiences when visiting cemeteries. ,

Without a doubt my most unpleasant and dangerous experience occurred earlier this year in Baltimore, Maryland, I think I am kind when I call it a disgusting city. Anyway, I don’t have anything good to say about Downtown Baltimore, so I won’t say anything else.

The reason I was in Baltimore was I wanted to visit historic Green Mount Cemetery.  And although I failed in my most recent attempt to visit, I did visit it back in 2001 and even then I found that the cemetery wasn’t in the best part of town, but it was nothing like what I found this time.

Back in 2001 it did manage to take a few photos of some of the more notable people that are resting in this large cemetery. While there are a number of notable people buried here, there were three that I really wanted to find.

JOHN WILKES BOOTH

The first and probably most notable person buried in Green Mount Cemetery is John Wilkes Booth. The man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D. C.

After he fatally shot President Lincoln, Booth manage to escape and fled across the Anacostia River into Maryland. Several days later he crossed the Potomac River near  Port Royal, Virginia where he and his companion David Herold shelter in a barn that was owned by the Garrett Family. 

While in the barn, Union soldiers caught up with the fugitives. Herold surrendered, but Booth refused and was eventually shot by a soldier named Boston Corbett and died a short time later.

Booth was originally buried buried at the Arsenal Penitentiary in Washington, D.C., But in 1869 the government released his body to his family who had his remains disinterred and moved to the Booth family plot in Baltimore’s Green Mount Cemetery.

His grave was initially unmarked and today is only marked by a small, unmarked white stone in the corner of the family plot.

 GENERAL JOSEPH E. JOHNSTON.

The second grave that I wanted to visit was that of Civil War General Joseph E. Johnston who attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in the same class as General Robert E. Lee.

After Virginia declared secession from the United States in 1861, General Johnston entered the Confederate States Army as one of its most senior officers during the War.

Most people associate the end of the Civil War with the surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox.  At Appomattox, General Lee surrendered 28,000 troop attached to his Army of Northern Virginia.

Before and after General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, General Johnston, was still fighting with the Union Army in North Carolina.  A little over two weeks after Appomattox General Johnston surrendered more than 89,000 troops to Union General William T. Sherman. that was being Led by General William T. Sherman. This was the larges surrender of the entire war.

After the War General Johnson and General Sherman became close friends. They corresponded and visited with each other often. In fact the two men became so close that when General Sherman died on February 14, 1891, General Johnston was one of his pallbearers

General Sherman’s funeral was held in New York City on a cold and rainy day. As the funeral procession made it’s way through the streets of the city, General Johnson’s walked the entire length of the procession bare headed out of respect for his dear friend.

It is widely attributed that because he walked the entire length of the procession without a hat, he caught a terrible cold that turned into pneumonia which claimed his life a little over a month later on March 21, 1891. General Johnson also served as a pallbearer at the funeral of General Ulysses S. Grand in 1885.

JOHNS HOPKINS

The last grave that I really wanted to find was that of Financier and Philanthropist, Johns Hopkins. During his life he was involved in a number of profitable financial ventures including the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which was used to Transport Union Troops during the Civil War.

He was also the President of the Merchant’s Bank as well as a number of other investment that ended up making him a lot of money. When he died on December 24, 1873, he left more than 7 million dollars which was used to fund what would become Johns Hopkins University and Hospital.

SAMUEL ARNOLD

Come to find out, John Wilkes Booth is not the only Lincoln Conspirator that is buried in this cemetery.  Samuel Arnold, was a confederate sympathizer that Joined the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He was discharged in 1864 for health reasons.

After his discharge, Arnold returned to Baltimore and in the late summer of 1864, he was recruited by Booth to be part of the kidnap plot.^] Bored and unemployed, Arnold accepted. On March 15, 1865, the conspirators met at Gautier's Restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue to discuss the plot to kidnap President Lincoln.

They attempted to Kidnap President Lincoln twice but failed because Lincoln was not where they thought he would be. After the kidnapping failed, the plot moved from kidnapping Lincoln to actually Assassinating him. Arnold wanted not part of the murder plot and took a job at Old Point Comfort in Virginia

After Booth assassinated Lincoln on April 14, 1865, Arnold was arrested from his job in Virginia on suspicion of complicity. He admitted his part in the plot to kidnap Lincoln, and his co-workers supported his contention of being in Virginia at the time of the assassination.

Arnold was found guilty of conspiracy by a military tribunal and sentenced to life in prison at Fort Jefferson, along with Dr.  Samuel Mudd, Michael O'Laughlen, and Edmund Spangler. In 1869, Arnold, Mudd, and Spangler were released after being pardoned by President Andrew Johnson (O'Laughlen died in prison in 1867).

After being pardoned, Samuel Arnold returned home, he lived quietly out of the public eye for more than thirty years. In 1898, he returned to Fort Jefferson and took photographs of his old prison, but the photographs have not survived.

In 1902, Arnold wrote a series of newspaper articles for the Baltimore American describing his imprisonment at Fort Jefferson. Samuel Arnold died at the age of 72, on September 21, 1906.  The only conspirator who survived him was John Surratt.

There are a number of other notable people buried in this cemetery. As much as I would like to some day return and visit them, I don't think endanger myself by returning to Baltimore. 

I AM A TAPHOPHILE

 I am a Taphophile! What the heck is that, you ask? Well, for many years I have been fascinated by cemeteries and graveyards. Especially those that are historic and are the final resting place of notable people.

A few Months back I was visiting a cemetery and ran into a fellow who approached me and introduced himself and said, “It’s always good to meet another taphophile.” I had no idea what he was talking about but didn’t let on.

So, when I got back home, I did a little research and found out what exactly a taphophile is. And here is the definition in a nutshell.

Taphophile: A person who loves, studies, or frequently visits cemeteries and graveyards. Taphophiles often explore cemeteries to appreciate their history, art, architecture, and tranquil atmosphere. They are also frequently referred to as tombstone tourists. They often engage in photographing monuments, studying genealogy, reading epitaphs, or researching the lives of those buried.

Yes, I am a Taphophile and have been most of my adult life. I just enjoy the history and art that are found in some of the more historic cemeteries.

On thing that I am often as is what is the difference between a cemetery and a graveyard. Well, a Graveyard is burial ground that is located on church property and administered by the church.

A cemetery is usually not affiliated with a church or particular religion or place of worship and are often designed as a park like setting.

And one more thing. There is a difference between a Cemetery and a Memorial Park. A cemetery has upright headstones and monuments, while a memorial park has all flat markers.

So, now you know more about topophilia that you ever wanted to know.  Over the years I have visited small cemeteries, large cemeteries, church graveyards and National Cemeteries and have very rarely had a problem. But sometimes there are issues.

Back in 2018, I was at the Crown Hill Cemetery in Dallas, Texas. I was there to visit the grave of depression era outlaw Bonnie Parker, or Bonnie and Clyde fame. Bonnie’s grave is located behind some landscaping shrubs and as soon as I made my way around the hedges, I saw what appeared to be two homeless men laying on the ground right next to her grave.

As I cautiously approached the grave, one of the men stood up and told me that it would cost me $5.00. I tried to ignore him, but he was insistent and I finally told Him would go to the Cemetery Office. If I needed to pay to visit the grave I would do so there. I turned and walked briskly back to my car. On the way out I saw a cemetery worker who called security. The cemetery worker said they are there all the time and security will run them off and they are back the next day.

The security guard arrived a few minutes later and in fact did escort them off the property.

Another issuer I had was at a rather large catholic cemetery near Miami, Florida. There were several notable people resting here that I wanted to visit. One of which was, Entertainer and Actor Jackie Gleason. Just as I arrived at his grave and parked, I was approached by a security guard in a golf cart who informed me that photos and video were prohibited. He also informed me that only relatives and authorized guests were permitted to visit the cemetery. With that he asked me to leave and escorted me to the exit.

Some cemeteries that I have tried to visit over the years are Not in the best part of town. The first time I encountered this was back in 2006 when I visited the Grave of Bonnie Parker’s partner in crime, Clyde Barrow.

Clyde Barrow, His brother Marvin “Buck” Barrow and their parents are buried in Western Heights Cemetery in Southwest Dallas.  This area of Dallas is in a crappy part of town. Many of the businesses have been abandoned and those that were open had bars over their windows and doors.

Online reviews from those who had previously visited the Barrow Graves said to “always be alert. This was a high crime area even when visiting in the daytime. But, despite these warnings I decided to visit anyway. 

While I didn’t have any problems, it was definitely in a less than desirable part of town.

The most frightening experience I had was when I recently tried to visit Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland. Now, I had been here back in 2001and I knew that this cemetery was not in the best part of the city. But I didn’t encounter any real problems during that visit. That would not be the case when I tried to visit earlier this year.

I was not prepared for what I would see and encounter as I drove deeper into the city. If you want to see urban blight, then just drive through downtown Baltimore.  Most of the Building were vacant and many had been gutted by fire. I later learned that most of the fire damage  was caused by the Civil Unrest that occurred from April 18 – May 4, 2015. There were only a few businesses open and even those had medal bars on the doors and windows with some rather despicable looking people standing out front.

 On a couple of occasions, When I slowed down or stop at traffic signals my car was surround by a number of individuals, who banged on my car and windows demanding money.

It was at this point that I decided to forget about visiting the Cemetery and just get the heck out of town. I didn’t slow down or stop at traffic signals, deciding that a traffic ticket from a police officer would be a better option than getting robbed or carjacked by the gutter trash that was everywhere in this city.

 I have traveled to 44 of the 50 states and I will tell you that Baltimore, Maryland is the worst city that I have ever experienced. There is absolutely nothing good in downtown Baltimore.

Later, when I was safely out of the city, I read some online reviews for visiting the cemetery.

“…Not a safe place. DON’T GO!”

“Baltimore is not a safe place, if you value your safety, stay away from downtown.”

“Be aware of your surrounding at all times. Be alert. Do not visit this cemetery alone.”

“Say away is the best advice I can give. The entire area surrounding the cemetery is considered high-risk due to persistent violent crime, open-air drug markets, and blight.”

So, I must admit that I failed in my second attempt to visit the Grave of John Wilkes Booth and some of the other notable people who are buried in this cemetery.