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The Humourous, the Unusual, and the Simply Odd: Tombstones pt 1

© Dina Ely

For your macabre delight I present to you: humourous, unusual, and just plain odd epitaphs & grave sites!

John Jackson Woodward of Pennsylvania penned his own epitaph, which is so striking that the Chester County Tourist Bureau offers guided tours of his grave site in Longwood Cemetery, Chester County, PA! His epitaph reads:

"Restored to the old Mother Earth in transitory trust Awhile to slumber dormant in the silent dust The lifeless form of him that has no soul to save No hope of eternal life beyond the grave Of groundless faith in spirit worlds of bliss But content alone with what the good enjoy in this. Here in peace will his ashes rest from pang of pain Til the roll of nature's sun wakes them to life again."

A beautiful, thoughtful poem on life & death that is known to reflect Woodward’s strong religious beliefs and philosophies. Oh, that we should all be remembered with such lovely words on our head stones! Click here for more information on Woodward’s burial site and his life.

One particularly haunting tombstone in the Bridge Street cemetery in Eastham, MA echoes a theme common to many head stones I’ve seen from the 18th century:

As you pass by and cast an eye as you are now so once was I.

Similarly, a rather famous head stone in Irwin Cemetery near Crested Butte, Colorado, reads:

My Dear Friends as You Pass By As You are Now, So Once Was I. As I am Now, You Soon Must Be. Prepare Yourselves to Follow Me.

And another in Kirbyville, TX:

Pause, stranger, when you pass me by, For as you are, so once was I. As I am now, so will you be. Then prepare unto death, and follow me.

A chilling reminder of our inevitable mortality!

On a more humourous note, poor Lester Moore, buried in a ghost town in northern Nevada, will be eternally remembered with this epitaph:

Here lies Lester Moore four shots from a .44 No Les--no more

Another misfortunate Moore’s head stone reads:

Owen Moore has passed away Owin' More than he could could pay

What is it they say about "no rest for the wicked"?? No rest from debt either, it would seem!

And some tombstones reflect us as we would most want to be remembered, like this one found in Hookstown, PA...

Hi! Stay high Bye

...complete with an etching of a marijuana leaf!

This head stone gives undeniable proof that all the good breeding in the world can’t save you from the grim reaper: