Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in New York

                                                               
The Sleepy Hollow cemetery rests within the same grounds as the Old Dutch church, though they are two separate entities. Originally incorporated as the Tarrytown Cemetery, the name was changed posthumously to honor Washington Irving.

The graves are an array of towering Victorian memorials, lavish crypts, and marble mausoleums. Besides Washington Irving, the memorial grounds are a Who's Who of famous deceased Americans. Several high standing employees of the controversial Standard Oil Company. Including John and Nelson Rockefeller make Sleepy Hollow their final resting place.

Other top industrialists buried within include cosmetics magnate Elizabeth Arden. Leo Baekeland, a man known as the father of plastic. Steel empire founder Andrew Carnegie and his family. Walter Chrysler, the founder of the Chrysler Corporation. Even real estate mogul Harry Helmsley and his wife Leona are buried here. Leona Helmsley is known for bequeathing 12 million dollars to her dog after her passing.

Several other graves in the yard represent several prominent actors, artists, athletes, authors, and politicians. Certainly a wide array of various eccentrics. But after all isn't that just what America really is?

The cemetery routinely offers guided tours around the grounds. A guide points out some of the famous grave markers as well as some of the abnormal ones. Evenings in the Autumn season a Washington Irving re-enactor stops by to read his ghostly short story.

Zion Hill Cemetery Columbia, Pennsylvania

Hidden under the route 30 overpass in Columbia, Pennsylvania. Tucked away in a small wooded area, some of the weeds and grass overextend the grave sites. Sadly, this lost memorial garden has had better years before it, but it's a place every American should visit and pay tribute.

Resting below the grounds are the remains of dozens of African-Americans including many who perished in the Civil War. Most of these brave men fought on the Union side with the 54th Massachusetts regiment. The valiant men wanted to prove they were equal to the task of fighting for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. One of these heroic men, Stephen Swails would become the first African-American officer in U.S. history. These courageous troops battled Confederate troops that began to invade the bridge spanning the Susquehanna river between Wrightsville, and Columbia, Pennsylvania.

One of the most famous buried here is Robert Loney. Mr Loney was at one time a conductor on the Underground Railroad. He helped escort escaped slaves across the nearby river. Freedom for African-Americans meant a great deal to Robert. His family was one of the first group of freed slaves. His passion for all men's freedom is evident in the way he would risk his own life in order to help others escape a life of captivity. If he were to be captured by those south of the Mason-Dixon line he could be escorted back into slavery. Robert Loney eventually joined the Union troops and fought along side his friends and neighbors in hopes of bringing freedom to all.

The wooden crosses and memorial stones that scatter the area are a constant reminder for us all to remember those who came before us and fought for the freedoms we all have. The grave site is taken care of by local Boy Scout groups, church leaders, paranormal groups, and Park Rangers. All showing devotion to the brave African-American men and women who endured through hardships most of us could never fathom, yet rose up to defend the freedoms of millions for centuries to come.

Hooded Grave Cemetery Pennsylvania

So what do vampires, werewolves, grave robbers and the wealthy all have in common? No, this isn't a joke. They're all part of the mystery of the Hooded Grave Cemetery. Two of the gravestones in this rural resting place are encaged in what resemble large Victorian era birdcages. But why you may ask?

That's a question that holds much speculation. A few believe those buried in these graves may be vampires. Originally the cages had locks on them, leading to the assumption they weren't trying to keep people out but to keep the dead from escaping. Some believe these cages were installed to keep out werewolves. A few of the locals believed they were in the area, killing their livestock. They thought by caging the graves they would keep the wolves from desecrating the deceased bodies.

Most believe that the cages were built as a show of wealth. The cages are quite elaborately designed and quite ornate. The family members of the deceased in these caged graves were active in the iron ore business, a very lucrative business during the 19th century. But the most logical reason these cages exist is to keep out grave robbers. During the mid 19th century young corpses were in high demand. The city of Philadelphia at this time was the epicenter of medical science and studies. With well over 1,000 medical students a good corpse was often difficult to find. It became nearly a rite of passage for young medical students to rob graves of their corpses.

So what's the truth? I'll leave that up to you to speculate on, or you could read more in volume 20 of Outta the Way. Whatever your conclusion, you can be sure author Anne Rice would be greatly inspired by these mysterious graves from a past century!

Video of Hooded Grave Cemetery, click here!