Book Release: "Abandoned and Forgotten Cemeteries of Philadelphia and its Environs"

My new book has just been released! Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered Abandoned and Forgotten Cemeteries of Philadelphia and its Environs – you should all have your copies in hand at this point. As always, I welcome feedback on the book. 

I did an in-person book launch presentation on July 24, 2025 at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, a week after the book was released. Head House Books was in attendance selling copies that I signed. It was great speaking with people about so many aspects of abandoned cemeteries – thank you all for coming! I do have five additional events scheduled throughout the fall in the Philadelphia area, so if you are interested in attending a lecture presentation or would like to chat or get a book signed, I’ve listed these at the end.

Now for a little bit about the book itself – here are the topics I cover:

• Why and how are cemeteries abandoned?

• City versus rural cemeteries and the demise of Lafayette Cemetery

• The Watery Remains of Monument Cemetery

• Genealogical challenges

• The Surprise Below - 

        First Baptist Church and Weccacoe Playground/Burial Ground

• Mount Moriah Cemetery – A Resurrection

• The Cemetery business model, old and new

• Mount Vernon and Har Hasetim Cemeteries - 

        Teetering on the edge of oblivion

• Volunteerism and respect for the past

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Were I to do it all over, I might subtitle my book, The Collapse of Eloquence. It’s a phrase from Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Bluebeard. The actual title of my new book is Abandoned and Forgotten Cemeteries of Philadelphia and its Environs, and it was released into the wild in July, 2025 (America Through Time). The Collapse of Eloquence aptly describes the not uncommon result of people’s efforts to memorialize themselves, their story, only to find that their monuments to immortality did not stand the test of time. Maybe their descendants discovered this, if they even cared. Sometimes our best efforts to preserve a memory ends with the monument disintegrating. Sometimes nature washes it away (as happened in the central Texas flood in July, 2025), and sometimes even our progeny make those memories disappear.

Abandoned community mausoleum, Plains, PA.

Cemetery History

Philadelphia is no different from any other major American city. Its residents die, so we bury them in a churchyard. (Everyone dies, even Ozzy.) The city grows and the churchyard becomes full. The land becomes too valuable for graves as the city expands so the graves are either relocated or built upon. Large rural cemeteries are created. A hundred years later, they are no longer rural – these same cemeteries find themselves now in the middle of the larger city, just as the small church graveyards once found themselves in the way of “progress.” Some cemeteries survive this evolution, others do not. When the cemetery disappears, sometimes the burial records disappear too. Then memories collapse.

ChesLen Preserve Potters Field, Chester County, PA

As I wrote the book, there were many ideas I wanted to get across, topics I wanted to cover, e.g. the history of cemeteries in Philadelphia, why some have disappeared, why cemeteries are abandoned. I was interviewed by Linda Gould of the Cemetery Chronicles podcast in July and she asked me an interesting question – were there any themes or topics that arose while I wrote the book, that I hadn’t planned. And yes, there were. Volunteerism was one, i.e. how historic preservation is so greatly dependent on volunteers! Another was one she put into words quite eloquently - the fragility and relative impermanence of cemeteries. We think of cemeteries as rather staid entities, not very dynamic. We may assume that the most dramatic thing that happens is a few graves get dug each week.

Cemeteries, however, are quite dynamic! It is very possible that the cemetery you drive past each day may be on the verge of bankruptcy. High grass is a sign, for sure, of potential problems, e.g. with Har Jehuda Cemetery in Upper Darby, PA. Or, in the case of Mount Vernon Cemetery at Ridge and Lehigh Avenues in north Philly, the absence of tall weeds and grass may be an indication of quite the opposite. THAT cemetery was purchased in the spring of 2025, by an individual who is in the process of restoring it and turning it into an active “green burial” ground! It had been locked up with its trees and other foliage growing wild for decades.

Gardel Monument, Mount Vernon Cemetery, 2021

In the introduction to the book I wrote that I’d been working on it for twenty years, although I didn’t realize it all that time. I’d been documenting my cemetery travels (which began at the turn of the century - the twenty-first) since 2010 in my blog, The Cemetery Traveler. After photographing, exploring, volunteering in, researching and writing about hundreds of cemeteries across the United States, it occurred to me that the “abandoned” cemetery captivated my interest more than any other “type” of cemetery. When I would lecture about such places, people would invariably ask, how does a cemetery become ABANDONED? For many, this is incomprehensible. Hence, there is a chapter in the book exploring that phenomenon. Examples are given, e.g. Har Hasetim (est. 1890), the formerly abandoned Jewish cemetery in the woods of Gladwyne, PA (a Philadelphia suburb) and Mount Moriah Cemetery (est. 1855), a massive 200-acre property which was easily the nation’s largest abandoned cemetery when it was deserted in 2010. These also happen to be success stories, believe it or not – cemeteries that were saved from oblivion. Many Philadelphia cemeteries were not.

Mount Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia, circa 2010

In Abandoned and Forgotten Cemeteries of Philadelphia and its Environs, I look at many cemeteries that have disappeared, or in some cases, just seem to have disappeared. Some have just been built over. Some, the bodies have been moved, others they have not. Monument Cemetery, the city’s second Victorian garden cemetery (est. 1837, after Laurel Hill, est. 1836) was destroyed in 1956 when Temple University acquired it to expand student parking. You can read about this travesty in my book, and see color photos of all the gravemarkers that were removed from the cemetery and dumped into the Delaware River under what is now the Betsy Ross Bridge. (The book is photograph-intensive, by the way, with 140 full-color images). Some large cemeteries like Monument and Lafayette Cemetery (which used to occupy the space that is now Capitolo Playground, near the cheese steak emporiums in south Philly) have barely left a trace. And where are the bodies? 47,000 from Lafayette and 28,000 from Monument? These are not pretty stories, but I cover them in the book.

Under the Betsy Ross Bridge

Many large cemeteries disappeared (sounds like someone just waved a magic wand, doesn’t it?), but scores of small ones did too. “Disappearing” could simply mean the graveyard was built over, like the Odd Fellows Cemetery under the playground of the William K. Dick Elementary School. It is fascinating to note that the Philadelphia Archeological Forum (PAF) has mapped out over 200 unmarked burial grounds throughout the city, with the intent that building developers take heed and do the right thing. Really, you cannot dig anywhere in Philadelphia without hitting a coffin, it seems. Temple found this out in March of 2025 when it tried to dig a foundation for a new building on the site of the old Monument Cemetery. Oops, they really DIDN’T move all the graves! And forget that “six feet under” idea. Burials were found eighteen inches under the blacktopped surface at Weccacoe Playground in Queen Village in 2014.

Weccacoe Playground, aka the Mother Bethel Burial Ground

Laws and Statutes

First Baptist Church plot at Mount Moriah Cemetery

Unfortunately, the laws that govern what happens when a backhoe accidentally crushes through buried wooden coffins are not well understood. They exist, but may not even be known to the parties involved. This is what happened at 218 Arch Street in 2017 when the foundation was being dug for a new condo complex. Legally, these thousands of full casket burials from the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia were on private property, so the developer had a certain responsibility. In Philadelphia, if human remains are found on private property, the landowner does not own any of the remains interred in that land. Under Pennsylvania law, such remains are under the control of next of kin/descendants and the courts. In this case, one would expect that the developer would have needed a court order to disturb these burials. He did allow about 500 burials to be excavated (and reburied at Mount Moriah Cemetery) but eventually the building went up - leaving an estimated 2,500 burials under the street. Apparently, this developer never saw the movie, Poltergeist.

Arch Street, where First Baptist remains were found to be not relocated to Mount Moriah

The PAF map was published in 2018, just after the Arch Street excavation, so this resource was not available for the developer to check for unmarked cemeteries before digging. The hope now is that developers WILL check the map first, then do the respectful thing. Or the legal thing. Hopefully both. Legally, in Philadelphia, if you do not “disturb” the human remains, you can build on, around, or over them. If you DO disturb the remains, then the Philadelphia Orphans Court has to get involved (along with the city coroner, police, archeologists, and so on) – but that’s only if the developer lets anyone know that human remains were discovered. 

(PAF) Philadelphia Historical Unmarked Burial Places Map

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

In Abandoned and Forgotten Cemeteries of Philadelphia and its Environs, I have tried to balance some good with the bad. Cemeteries that were saved, versus cemeteries that were destroyed, or just paved over like Bishops’ Burial Ground under Washington Avenue at 8th Street in South Philly. Or the previously unmarked Mother Bethel Burial Ground under the Weccacoe Playground in Queen Village, which is home to about 5,000 very quiet neighbors. After the accidental excavation of graves at Weccacoe in 2015, the Philadelphia Archaeological Forum (PAF) created its map of unmarked burial grounds. This fascinated me. I quickly looked at the area of the proposed Seventy-Sixers basketball arena in Chinatown to see if any unmarked graveyards would be disturbed … and yes there were two! The plan was abandoned though, so the arena is not being built. The burial grounds continue to rest quietly under the streets.

Southwark Community Garden, Queen Village (photo by Paul Wismar)

Back at the beginning of this piece, I said I’d been working on the book for the past twenty years. I didn’t realize it until last year when a publisher contacted me. When I was almost ready to upload the final edited manuscript in the fall of 2024, it occurred to me to look at the places I’d lived in Philadelphia to see if there were cemeteries in those areas. Eureka! The apartment building I used to live in on Queen Street was built over the Sixth Presbyterian Church Burial Ground! (Which could explain why one of the closets rained from time to time.) In addition, the community garden directly behind my apartment complex (shown in the photo above) was ALSO built over a different cemetery, the Ebenezer Church Burial Ground!! No wonder my neighbors’ vegetables are so plump and tasty, the flowers so vibrant. I find it amusing that they refer to their individual garden sections as plots.

That’s just one example of how new information bubbles to the surface and allows me to update the presentations I give from time to time. Here’s a link to that PAF map, if you’d like to see if you’re living on top of an old cemetery (or better yet, find out if a neighbor you dislike is living on top of one!): 

https://www.phillyarchaeology.net/wp-content/gismaps_maps/BurialMapV4/index.html#12/40.0102/-75.1089

I plan to do more speaking engagements this year, with book signings and so on. But these won’t be canned presentations. They will always be updated with current developments. People think cemeteries are fixed entities, unchanging pieces of property that simply get the grass cut every couple weeks. This is, oddly, not the case. Every time I lecture, there is new information, even if I’m discussing the same topic, the same cemetery. Consider the recent development where Temple University rediscovered graves under a parking lot excavation on April 12, 2025.

Temple's April 2025 excavation ends when they hit coffins six feet under.

Monument Cemetery, Gleason's Pictorial 1852

They were digging a foundation for a new building on the old Monument Cemetery site, whose graves were supposedly all moved in 1956. You can read about this “surprise” in the May 28, 2025 Philadelphia Inquirer article, “The discovery of human remains at Temple is a reminder of Philly’s history of careless cemetery removals.” Forget a collapse of eloquence, this is a collapse of respect. The article states, “We’ve long known about the careless, politically corrupt removal of cemeteries across the city from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries, including Monument Cemetery at the site of the university.” Maybe you didn’t know this. It is my belief that you should, which is one of the major points of my book. Owning up to our mistakes of the past and striving to do better in the future will make us better people. 

On a positive note, Laurel Hill Cemetery recently completed (in May, 2025) a massive year-long restoration project of its 1836 John Notman-designed gatehouse. For all its beauty and elegance, few people realize that Laurel Hill narrowly averted disaster in the 1970s. At that point, it was nearly full, its condition steadily declining since WWII. Its grandiose monuments were covered with graffiti; all the Tiffany stained-glass windows had been stolen from its mausoleums. The savior of the cemetery arrived in 1978 when the Friends of Laurel Hill volunteer organization was formed. Laurel Hill now thrives, its collapse of eloquence halted, its story continuing in grand tradition. Many memory gardens were not so lucky. Some, like Mount Vernon Cemetery (est. 1856) across Ridge Avenue from Laurel Hill, have been hanging on by a thread, locked up and neglected for decades. Since my book went to press, there has been an interesting development with that cemetery, as I mentioned earlier. After famously being advertised for sale on Zillow for a million dollars in 2024, it has been purchased with plans to care for the grounds and make it not only a walkable green space for the neighborhood, but to also make it a green burial site!

Mount Vernon Cemetery, 2013

Impermanence vs. Perpetual Care 

Rest in peace. Perpetual care. What do those phrases even mean in light of all this tumultuous activity? One thing it means is that some people are now demanding legal clauses in their burial contracts that say their remains will NEVER be disturbed. But who’s to say what will happen in a hundred years’ time? As we ponder all this and move toward a better, more respectful future, consider what Ben Franklin said: “Show me your cemeteries and I will tell you what kind of people you have.“ 

So my book, again, captures the fragility, the impermanence of these entities we assumed would last forever. Our cemeteries are part of our history, and whenever we lose one, we lose a chapter in our city's history. Historic sites depend greatly on the efforts of volunteers, so if you are so inclined, please consider volunteering your time to help out at your local cemetery. 

References and Calendar of Events:

Abandoned and Forgotten Cemeteries of Philadelphia and its Environs is available at the online retailers:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/abandoned-and-forgotten-cemeteries-of-philadelphia-and-its-environs-ed-snyder/1146630922

https://www.amazon.com/Abandoned-Forgotten-Cemeteries-Philadelphia-Environs/dp/1634995236

https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Abandoned-Forgotten-Cemeteries-Philadelphia-Its/Ed-Snyder/9781634995238

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I will have books at several events in the fall, if you would like me to sign one. The first two are public lectures and the last three are events where I will also be selling my books and fine art cemetery photography:

(Lecture presentations below require online registration)

Ludington Library (Lower Merion Library System), 5 South Bryn Mawr Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010

October 9th, 2025 (7 pm)

https://lmls.libcal.com/event/14489528

Wissahickon Valley Public Library - Ambler Branch

209 Race Street, Ambler PA  19002 Sept. 17, 2025, 6:30 pm.

https://www.wvpl.org/abandoned-and-forgotten-cemeteries-phila-and-its-environs

Market of the Macabre at Laurel Hill Cemetery – Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025

https://laurelhillphl.com/events/annual-events/market-of-the-macabre/

Darksome Art Market at Mount Moriah Cemetery – Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025

https://www.darksomecraftmarket.com/mountmoriah

Chestnut Hill Arts Festival – Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025

https://chestnuthillpa.com/events/fallforthearts-2025/

"Buried Philadelphia: The Cemeteries and Burial Grounds of the City of Brotherly Love" - Interview with the Author

My friend Jenn O’Donnell has a new book out, entitled, Buried Philadelphia: The Cemeteries and Burial Grounds of the City of Brotherly Love (Fonthill Media, 2025). After purchasing a copy of the book, I had some questions! Photographing and researching cemeteries in Philadelphia has been one of my passions, so I was surprised by how much I did not know! Jenn graciously agreed to an interview. Here’s a synopsis of her book, followed by my interview. All photos are Jenn's and can be found in her book. Enjoy!

Explores the city's cemeteries, blending history, art, and recreation in forgotten burial grounds transformed into urban green spaces.

Many of Philadelphia’s oldest graveyards have been lost to time in the name of progress and expansion. The cityscape changes, the remains of the dead are moved (or not) to new locations, and new buildings are erected. Modern Philadelphia still contains dozens of burial grounds, from the tiny Colonial-era churchyards of Old City to the sprawling acreage of the once rural cemeteries fashioned after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, numerous remaining cemeteries in the city are simply running out of space and as lot sales and burials dwindle, so does the money for upkeep and maintenance.

1.        Welcome Jenn! Can you tell us why you wrote this book?

I’ve been interested in photography since high school when I took three years of classes learning to shoot and develop film and make prints in a darkroom. As an adult I developed an interest in cemetery photography after realizing these places are some of the most beautiful and peaceful spots around. When the publisher of the Buried America series approached me asking if I would be interested in doing a book about Philadelphia cemeteries, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity!

2.        People likely think of cemeteries as stagnant, or at least staid, entities. You obviously know differently. Can you share some insight with us into what it takes to keep a cemetery from falling apart …and why it is that we should care.

I describe myself as a taphophile, someone who enjoys and appreciates cemeteries. I don’t consider myself morbid, just fascinated by the human desire to bury our loved ones in graveyards and erect varied monuments in their memory. Cemeteries are full of art and history, and are a reflection of the society in which they exist. That’s why I care, and why I think others should as well.

Mary Adele Hirst monument, Cathedral Cemetery, West Philadelphia

Many people think a cemetery is forever, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. All of them need fairly massive amounts of labor and money to keep their grounds looking nice and the gates open, so when normal revenue streams dry up and the space is filled, the cemetery needs to find alternatives to pay the bills.

Bald Cypress tree in West Oak Lane's Northwood Cemetery

3.        You talk about “recreational opportunities” offered by cemeteries. Does it bother people, in your experience, when cemeteries host concerts, tours, or craft markets?

There is certainly a small, but sometimes very vocal group of people who think any activity in a cemetery that isn’t directly related to a funeral or mourning should be barred from cemeteries and there are plenty of cemeteries that do not allow recreational activities on their grounds. However, Victorian-era rural cemeteries were intended to be places where people could enjoy the grounds and sculpture, have a picnic, or otherwise relax. I find more often than not, people are intrigued by the idea of spending leisure time at their local cemetery—even more so when they realize most modern cemeteries cannot survive without the interest and support of their neighbors.

4.        Your great experience volunteering in cemeteries provides us with many behind-the-scenes glimpses at these properties that most people have never thought about. For instance, you say it is a common misconception that all graves have a marker of some sort, and that Woodlands Cemetery has “grave gardeners.” Can you share with us any other behind-the-scenes cemetery stories not in your book?

In my experience, Jewish cemeteries are the most welcoming to researchers or photographers. Mikveh Israel required picking up gate keys to access the Spruce Street and Federal Street cemeteries, and they seemed excited that I was interested in including their historic properties in my book. Active cemeteries can sometimes be provincial places, but the greater-Philadelphia area’s Jewish cemeteries were so accommodating. I didn’t have time to visit the third Mikveh Israel cemetery on Market Street, but I hope to sometime soon.

5.        “About the Author” says that you’ve photographed over 150,000 headstones for findagrave.com. That is a staggering number! Tell us a bit about that.

Entrance to the 1692 Hood Cemetery, Germantown

I joined findagrave.com in 2008 because I was interested in genealogy and found the website a great way to search for new information. The website is collaborative, and users from all over the world add information and take photos of graves for other people. After having some photo requests fulfilled for my own ancestors, I thought, “I can do this for other people” so I started fulfilling requests at my local cemeteries. That led to me photographing as many graves as possible when visiting a cemetery, something findagrave.com members refer to as “mowing the rows”.

6.        Looking through “Buried Philadelphia,” one sees a great variety of gravemarker styles. Do you have a favorite?

My favorite marker styles are white bronze monuments (referred to as “zinkies”) or tree stump tombstones. Porcelain portraits are a close third. I find each of these styles a unique departure from a basic flat or slant marker that you see by the thousands in most cemeteries. White bronze monuments fascinate me because they are made of metal panels and are hollow. Not only have they stood the test of time, but it’s fun to knock on them and hear the reverb.

7.        Being a cemetery traveler myself, I was fascinated by your photo of the silver-painted cast-iron angel grave marker on page 64. That is quite unique. May I ask where you found her?

Cast iron marker, St. Dominic Cemetery

I came across that cast-iron angel at Saint Dominic Roman Catholic Church Cemetery https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1973644/saint-dominic-roman-catholic-cemetery in the Holmesburg section of Northeast Philly.  A lot of the monuments in this cemetery are what I would consider pretty standard looking, but there are some definite gems like this one.

8.        Related to my opening remarks, I am curious what you see as the future state of Philadelphia cemeteries. What do you think these wonderful memory gardens will look like in 20 years?

I think most cemeteries, especially those in Philadelphia, are reaching a point where they are quickly running out of space for new lot sales and interments. Some have pivoted to less space intensive options like columbaria or niches for cremains, but I think all of them will face challenges as income declines. In the next 20 years, I think we will see more cemeteries facing dereliction or abandonment if they don’t come up with new ways to bring in money. Some cemeteries that are planning ahead have looked for new ways to keep their properties relevant that have nothing to do with burials such as events and programming.

Obelisks in Cathedral Cemetery, West Philadelphia

9.        I’m sure there are many fascinating stories you can tell about your cemetery travels, your volunteer work, and so on. Do you have any speaking engagements scheduled, now that your book has been published? I am sure that people would like to ask you questions!

I do not have any speaking engagements scheduled that I can share, but I’m working on scheduling some with local organizations. I’ll be sure to share any confirmed dates on my Instagram account @cems_and_things.

10.   Are there any other books that you are working on?

I’m working on a second book for Fonthill Media/America Through Time’s Buried America series tentatively titled, “Philadelphia’s Mount Moriah Cemetery: The Ruin and Rebirth of the City’s Largest Cemetery”.  I’ve been volunteering at Mount Moriah for well over a decade and as the current board president it’s a subject I’m quite knowledgeable about. This book will hopefully hit stores sometime in 2026.

11.   Would you like to leave us with any parting comments about Philadelphia’s cemeteries?

Many of Philadelphia’s cemeteries have seen better days and there are some that don’t regularly have visitors anymore. My hope is that my book sheds a little light on why these places are important to the fabric of the city and that the photos are intriguing enough that more people will become cemetery explorers.

To purchase a copy of Jenn’s book, Buried Philadelphia: The Cemeteries and Burial Grounds of the City of Brotherly Love, please visit:

https://www.amazon.com/Buried-Philadelphia-Cemeteries-Grounds-Brotherly/dp/1625451504

On behalf of the Cemetery Traveler readership, I would like to thank Jenn O’Donnell for spending some time wish us and with her great success with this and her next book!

"Chicago Eternal" Book Review

About twenty years ago I discovered a book that got me so interested in cemetery monuments and cemetery photography that my new endeavor quickly became an all-consuming passion. The book, "Going Out in Style: The Architecture of Eternity," by writer and photographer Douglas Keister, was an epiphany for me. It really got me interested in the art of the Victorian cemetery. It is a wonderful coffee table book full of fascinating photographs and interesting prose. Honestly, until Larry Broutman's "Chicago Eternal" was published in 2018, Keister's had no equal. I have read, and own, scores of cemetery books and I must say that Broutman has pushed this art form to a new level. I am excited to present to you my review of this wonderful book.

From the publisher, Everything Goes Media, LLC:

www.everythinggoesmedia.com

“In Chicago Eternal, the Windy City’s rich history springs to life through illuminating photographs of gravestones and monuments. This full-color, hardcover book explores thirty-two Chicago cemeteries, shedding light on the famous, notorious, and long-forgotten. Each image is accompanied by text detailing the deceased’s cultural contributions. Chicago Eternal is a must have for professional and hobby genealogists, tombstone tourists, history buffs, and photography lovers. All author proceeds are donated to the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Disabled and Access Living.”

3D image from Chicago Eternal

Chicago Eternal is grandiose venture, a true labor of love. It is about memory, respect, and the way we choose to mark the lives of those who have gone before us. It is a coffee table book in a very literal sense – it is so large, it could almost double as the coffee table itself! Measuring 9x13 inches and 1.25 inches thick, this is a serious and weighty tome. True, size isn't everything. Happily, Broutman's book has much more to offer – wonderfully composed images, insightful text, celebrity graves, exhaustive coverage of all of Chicago's  major burial spots, and .... 3D glasses. Yes, those blue-and-red lensed glasses, to be used to view the fifteen 3D images of grave markers in the final chapter of the book! What a wonderfully clever surprise!

My daughter enjoying 3D glasses

About the Photography

As a photographer, I realize that it is challenging to make an artistic, aesthetically pleasing photo of a cemetery monument. Most such images are either clichéd or what I call "snap shoddy," a snap shot that really is nothing more than a post card photo at best. So I may hold up cemetery photography books to a more rigorous standard than do most people ‒ the photos have to do more for me than provide documentation. The funerary architecture and stunning Victorian-era mourning art sculpture in Chicago’s cemeteries are worthy of documentation for sure, partly because time and the elements wear down these unique objets d'art. I am happy to say that the majority of Broutman’s intriguing images are successful photographs themselves, while providing visual accompaniment to the text. As my tastes run more toward black and white photographs, color work has to really stand out to get my attention ‒ and these images stand out.

Why do Broutman’s images stand out, you may ask. Well, for me two of the most appealing atmospheric conditions under which to photograph cemetery statuary are in the snow, and under cloudy skies before a storm. Oddly, many of Broutman’s images were made under just these conditions. To my eye, this makes the subject ‒ the architecture and statuary ‒ that much more interesting. Shooting under these conditions is unusual. I would like to know what kind of cameras Broutman uses, how he made some of these images, and WHY he chose to make many of the photographs while there was snow on the ground (I assume the winters are longer in Chicago, so he may not have had a choice!). I would think a short essay explaining such technicalities would have been enjoyable to read. His discerning use of depth of field and limited use of HDR make the images quite pleasing to the eye. Possibly because the color images are so striking and the print quality so high, the few black and white images in the book seem to have less punch. It’s unusual for me to say such a thing, because I do prefer black and white to color.

Celebrity

Like many people, I am intrigued by celebrities. Visiting the Chicago grave of Howlin’ Wolf or Jesse Owens makes us feel closer to the person, physically, than we ever could have in real life. Visiting Al Capone’s or ‘Big Jim’ Colosimo’s grave is certainly safer than it would have been to visit the actual people when they were alive! Many of the people in Broutman's book were players in Chicago’s colorful past, people we learned about in history books, such as Mayor Daley, Jack Ruby, and Detective Allan Pinkerton. Standing at their graves makes history more tangible. Broutman provides informational text and supplemental historic photographs to flesh out his stories, making them that much more interesting. Who knew that Oscar Mayer (buried in Chicago’s Rosehill Cemetery) patented sliced bacon?

Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago

Never having been to Chicago, there is the mystique of novelty here, for me. My guess, though, is that even if you HAVE been to these Chicago area cemeteries, you will get even more from Broutman’s book than I have. Such nationally historic events are marked in Chicago’s grand graveyards, for example, the Showmen’s Rest railway disaster at Woodlawn, the Haymarket Riot in Forest Home, and the Irving Park graves of the victims of 1929’s St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Broutman puts flesh on the bone with his images and text, bringing history to life in ways that a simple history book cannot. It was truly inspiring to see the grave of Emma Goldman (Forest Home Cemetery), the Jewish political activist whose memorial bears the engraving, “Liberty will not descend to a people, a people must raise themselves to liberty.”

On a lighter note, it was a treat for me to see and read about the actual grave markers that graphic artist Scott Larson brings to life (literally) in his indie comic book series Visitations. In Larson’s world ‒ a steampunk version of Chicago at the turn of the twentieth century ‒ very specific cemetery monuments come alive to protect the living. One of his characters, “Piper Boy,” is seen below in Broutman’s 3D photograph. (Read more about Larson’s work here.)

Grave of Christopher Manual, 3D image from Chicago Eternal

The design and layout of Chicago Eternal are simply stunning. The front and back covers do what covers are supposed to do – make you want to buy the book! If you are so inclined, the publisher has graciously offered a discount code to readers of The Cemetery Traveler:

Your exclusive coupon code is CEMTOURS10 which will give readers $10 off at Everything Goes Media (https://www.everythinggoesmedia.com/product-page/chicago-eternal)

One of the things I enjoy most about Chicago Eternal is the fact that it rekindled my interest in exploring cemeteries. Not that it has waned, exactly, but after twenty years, you think you’ve seen it all. Broutman reminds us that there is a unique person’s life behind every gravestone ‒ a life worth learning about, in many cases. He also put ideas into my head for making photographs. I learn from other photographers’ work, and Broutman shows us that even a documentary photograph can be artistic. Like the book I discovered twenty years ago that got me so interested in cemetery monuments and cemetery photography, Chicago Eternal will likely become a similar catalyst for a new generation of photographers.  

Acknowledgement
Photographs in this article are used by permission of the publisher, Everything Goes Media, LLC.

About the Author

I do not know Larry Broutman personally, but we do share more than a love of graveyards and photography. Broutman is a plastics engineer, which I find quite intriguing. I am a biomedical engineer, and one of the most notable pieces of research I published was in partnership with a plastics engineer (click here to read). What is it with engineers who are also artists? Left and right brains in action! 

Author Larry Broutman donates all of his profits from Chicago Eternal and his two other coffee table books of photography, Chicago Monumental and Chicago Unleashed, as well as his soon-to-be-released children’s book, Chicago Treasure, to The Chicago Lighthouse and Access Living.

The Chicago Lighthouse

The Chicago Lighthouse is a world-renowned social service organization serving the blind, visually impaired, disabled and Veteran communities. Recognized as a pioneer in innovation since 1906, The Chicago Lighthouse provides vision rehabilitation services, education, employment opportunities and assistive technology for people of all ages. Larry Broutman is a Lighthouse Board Member. His upcoming book, Chicago Treasure, features photographs of students from the Judy and Ray McCaskey Preschool at the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Disabled.

Find more information about The Chicago Lighthouse at:

https://chicagolighthouse.org/

Access Living

Established in 1980, Access Living is a change agent committed to fostering an inclusive society that enables Chicagoans with disabilities to live fully–engaged and self–directed lives. Nationally recognized as a leading force in the disability advocacy community, Access Living challenges stereotypes, protects civil rights and champions social reform. Their staff and volunteers combine knowledge and personal experience to deliver programs and services that equip people with disabilities to advocate for themselves.

Find more information about Access Living at

https://www.accessliving.org/