Cemeteries

[wandat24]

This may have been talked about, but I'd like to see how many people like Cemetery caches...

Is a Micro good, or do you like to find small ones?

[+Diver-Dave]

This may have been talked about, but I'd like to see how many people like Cemetery caches...

Is a Micro good, or do you like to find small ones?

 

My wife and kids both enjoy cemetary caches. They go more for the history and viewing of different headstones and such more than the caches themselves. Actually, I usually end up looking for the cache while they are off wandering around the cemetary. So in my opinion micros are fine in cemetaries.

[wandat24]

This may have been talked about, but I'd like to see how many people like Cemetery caches...

Is a Micro good, or do you like to find small ones?

 

My wife and kids both enjoy cemetary caches. They go more for the history and viewing of different headstones and such more than the caches themselves. Actually, I usually end up looking for the cache while they are off wandering around the cemetary. So in my opinion micros are fine in cemetaries.

That's what I like doing. Going for the History and all. I placed two today and thinking about a few more.

Edited June 24, 2006 by wandat24

[+EraSeek]

Absolutely. Cemeteries are such a treasure trove of personal and local history. It would be a shame not to appreciate them. Always best to put any actual caches out along the perimeter of the cemetery rather than near the graves. Also the small local cemeteries seem to be much better than the large urban ones for both history and cache appeal. Always keep in mind respect and honor and you will be fine.

[+nutlady]

This may have been talked about, but I'd like to see how many people like Cemetery caches...

Is a Micro good, or do you like to find small ones?

[+nutlady]

This may have been talked about, but I'd like to see how many people like Cemetery caches...

Is a Micro good, or do you like to find small ones?

 

Obviously I dont know how to reply to a message! Or Do I.....lets see! Personally I have always been an old Cemetery buff. Ill pull over at a whim just to wander about and look at headstones. In my area, Ive been trying to find the oldest cemeteries that are still open to the public ( not a small feat! ) to place caches at in a tastefull way, of course. Just to bring people to the location. An I always enjoy looking for these caches....I can spend hours wandering about. I know from some logs, that some folks dont like these placements. As for me, I want my headstone to be a cache. Of course Ill have some explaining to do beforehand if I have the opportunity.....but how cool that would be. Have Geo-cachers come and sign a log as well as pay respects.

[wandat24]

This may have been talked about, but I'd like to see how many people like Cemetery caches...

Is a Micro good, or do you like to find small ones?

 

Obviously I dont know how to reply to a message! Or Do I.....lets see! Personally I have always been an old Cemetery buff. Ill pull over at a whim just to wander about and look at headstones. In my area, Ive been trying to find the oldest cemeteries that are still open to the public ( not a small feat! ) to place caches at in a tastefull way, of course. Just to bring people to the location. An I always enjoy looking for these caches....I can spend hours wandering about. I know from some logs, that some folks dont like these placements. As for me, I want my headstone to be a cache. Of course Ill have some explaining to do beforehand if I have the opportunity.....but how cool that would be. Have Geo-cachers come and sign a log as well as pay respects.

That would be very cool!

I spent an hour and half in one today looking around and 45 mins in the first one. I placed caches in both of them. I just wanted to see what everyone thought of it before placing the others I have planned .

The one I spent so long in today my Father-In-Law is buried in and the kids and I hadn't ever seen it, just hadn't gone before. We went and got flowers and placed them for him. We also, each (3 of use), placed one on about 20 baby graves while we was there. I always like to do that. I just wish I’d had some for the first one we had gone to.

Edited June 24, 2006 by wandat24

[+Tsmola]

I love a good cemetery cache, my most recent hide is one in a cemetery with an old, sealed up church. I'd never planned on hiding one in a cemetery but the location was too interesting to pass up, especially since the grounds are haunted. It's a decon simply because it was the only ready to go container I had when I found the location.

 

I've been considering a new hide in a small cemetery close to home that had a cache, but the owner archived it due to a lack of interest, but the location is the burial place of a couple that was murdered nearby in the 1800's and it is still unsolved. I was thinking of making an easy puzzle and putting a bunch of info on the murders to make it more interesting.

 

If respectfully done, they have defintely have their place.

[+RichardMoore]

This may have been talked about, but I'd like to see how many people like Cemetery caches...

Is a Micro good, or do you like to find small ones?

I'll answer the easy part first: I always prefer a small container to a micro. To me, trading is a part of the game.

 

Do I like Cemetery caches?

It depends on the Cemetery. If it's an old one, not used anymore, or in a section of the cemetery that's not used anymore, it's fine. (And before anyone says anything, "not used anymore" means that they are not accepting new residents.) The older cemeteries have historical value and are more interesting than the newer ones.

But, I don't like having to walk past fresh graves to get to a cache, and I don't like caches that are placed so that people are looking in the flowers that have been placed at a grave in case the cache is there. I've experienced both of these, on more than one occasion. To me, that's disrespectful.

 

Let me also go off-topic for a moment here and point out that most cemeteries are not public property. They are privately owned and maintained. The "Frisbee Rule" does not apply.

Edited June 24, 2006 by RichardMoore

[+4leafclover]

what is the "frisbee rule", Richard?

[+RichardMoore]

what is the "frisbee rule", Richard?

It's an old (and incorrect, in my opinion) idea that you don't need permission to place a cache in an area if you don't need permission to play Frisbee there.

It's a way of getting around the "adequate permission" part of the cache listing guidelines.

[+4leafclover]

okay...color me simple, but I cannot imagine wanting to play frisbee in a cemetery....

[+two left feet]

okay...color me simple, but I cannot imagine wanting to play frisbee in a cemetery....

 

I have placed a cache next to a cemetery but not on the property and it is a full sized ammo can. That way people can visit the cemetery IF they want to and they get a regular cache for trading.

 

My primary reason for not placing a cache inside a cemetary is that while I would put it where it would not cause damage, there are people out there who seem to have no respect when they hunt. I have seen tools used to pry, cut, dig and loosen. So I have a concern that someone would be lifting up markers to look under them or climbing on them to look on top of something. 99% of cachers are fine thoughtful people, but I would feel terrible if that one thoughtless individual damaged a historical cemetery looking for my cache.

 

A good alternative is an offset cache. Use one of the markers for the initial waypoint with a date or number from it used to compute the final waypoint. That way they don't have to move or touch anything but they still get to search for it and they get a regular cache for trading that they do have to work to find.

 

Oh yeah, there is that permission thing also.

[+Team Gryarvold]

Our whole team and extended family love cemetery caches, whatever the size. Part of us will look for the cache and others will wander the grounds and then filling us in when we return to the car. For us it's a great history lesson and with so many small abandoned cemeteries in our area, or ones that have been moved when the lake came in, we still have not found all of them yet. When we are out and about, whether caching or some chore that needs doing, we are always on the look out for cemeteries stuck back in the woods somewhere. We study maps and see if we can find out of way abandoned ones to place caches to draw cachers to that area. But we also like the huge the city grounds that are more often than not quite beautiful and well laid out. Even the youngest of the group at 3 years old yells out when he sees one, and has to go visit all the flowers on the markers while others are seeking. I want to be cremated, so I am still trying to figure out how to incorporate a cache into that. Any ideas?

[berr326]

some of them are nice like the one of mine "among the dead" which is not exactly in the graveyard, put next to it, you can choose to visit the graveyard or choose to stay out, by the way it is a reccomended to do at night cache!

[+bwmick]

I want to be cremated, so I am still trying to figure out how to incorporate a cache into that. Any ideas?

 

(doing best Vincent Price impression) you'll have the perfect cache container already picked out.

 

Sorry I had to do it, my mind is a scary place sometimes.

 

bwmick

[+Western Mass Clan]

In their will, has anybody ever instructed that a tiny portion (an ounce or less) of their cremains should be turned into a travel bug? I'd be interested to find out. Some people might be creeped out by the idea. What would you think if you came across such a travel bug?

 

I can read the description now: "My husband was too cheap to travel, so at least now I can see the world!"

 

Kidding aside, would it be illegal to place even a small amount cremains in a geocache? I can't imagine that it would be regulated considering that you can spread cremains just about anywhere you can get permission to do so. Would you pick up such a travel bug and move it along? I probably would.

 

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea. As long as the container is sealed somehow (I'm thinking a keychain type steel tube with the lid glued or sealed in some fashion), I wouldn't see any problem. Large Catholic churches have little pieces of all of past Popes and Saints on display as holy relics, why not a micro "Urn" travel bug?

 

Cheers,

 

Matt

Edited June 24, 2006 by Western_Mass_Clan

[+QuesterMark]

As for me, I want my headstone to be a cache. Of course Ill have some explaining to do beforehand if I have the opportunity.....but how cool that would be. Have Geo-cachers come and sign a log as well as pay respects.

 

I do too...sorta. I don't intend to have a grave, but I do want a cache as a memorial!

[+Western Mass Clan]

Just did a little hunting on the site and, yep, somebody has had their ashes turned into a travel bug .... to be spread a teaspoon at a time in all 50 states.

 

Not sure if the idea of cremains in a mason jar would be a good one, IMHO. One poster astutely posted "Just don't write 'creamer substitute' on the side!"

 

[LINK]

 

Matt

[+QuesterMark]

In their will, has anybody ever instructed that a tiny portion (an ounce or less) of their cremains should be turned into a travel bug? I'd be interested to find out. Some people might be creeped out by the idea. What would you think if you came across such a travel bug?

 

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea. As long as the container is sealed somehow (I'm thinking a keychain type steel tube with the lid glued or sealed in some fashion), I wouldn't see any problem. Large Catholic churches have little pieces of all of past Popes and Saints on display as holy relics, why not a micro "Urn" travel bug?

Matt

 

I think I remember some service whereby a pet could be embedded in a "jewel." Perhaps that could be done with some human remains...I am finding that I like the idea as well!

[+Team Gryarvold]

I could go for the cremains travel bug idea. What a great way to see the world on a shoestring. Yep and I would most definitely pick one up if I found one and pass it on. I think it's a great idea. Will have to work on that one, find just the right container.

[+Enspyer]

I've never had a problem with any of the cemetary caches I've run into. I own a few myself. Two are far from any actual headstones, in woods/trails that just happen to be on the same property. Another one is in a century that hasn't been used for about a century, and it's nearby it so that people can stop and appreciate the old stones, and read them, while they are there. Micros I suspect would be fine, so long as they weren't anywhere near the headstones...they might be a bit boring though unless they were near a unique or signficant grave.

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

I've never had a problem with any of the cemetary caches I've run into. I own a few myself. Two are far from any actual headstones, in woods/trails that just happen to be on the same property. Another one is in a century that hasn't been used for about a century, and it's nearby it so that people can stop and appreciate the old stones, and read them, while they are there. Micros I suspect would be fine, so long as they weren't anywhere near the headstones...they might be a bit boring though unless they were near a unique or signficant grave.

I do not like caches hidden in cemeteries which are still active or recently active, and I have gotten to the point where I wil not seek such caches, just as I refuse to seek many other types of caches as well. On the other hand, if a cache is hidden in an old, no-longer-used cemetery which has long been disused, then I do not mind an intelligently and sensitively hidden cache in such a spot.

[+Team Gryarvold]

Just did a little hunting on the site and, yep, somebody has had their ashes turned into a travel bug .... to be spread a teaspoon at a time in all 50 states.

 

Not sure if the idea of cremains in a mason jar would be a good one, IMHO. One poster astutely posted "Just don't write 'creamer substitute' on the side!"

 

[LINK]

 

Matt

 

 

I don't think I would put to much faith in a mason, even if it did look sturdy. Too many things could happen.

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

In their will, has anybody ever instructed that a tiny portion (an ounce or less) of their cremains should be turned into a travel bug? I'd be interested to find out. Some people might be creeped out by the idea. What would you think if you came across such a travel bug?

 

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea. As long as the container is sealed somehow (I'm thinking a keychain type steel tube with the lid glued or sealed in some fashion), I wouldn't see any problem. Large Catholic churches have little pieces of all of past Popes and Saints on display as holy relics, why not a micro "Urn" travel bug?

Matt

 

I think I remember some service whereby a pet could be embedded in a "jewel." Perhaps that could be done with some human remains...I am finding that I like the idea as well!

My grandfather, quite an active geocacher until his death at age 104 in 1980, asked in his will that his body be dehydrated, dessicated and preserved by embedding it in an oval-shaped block of amber, and that it then be made into a travel bug. The big problem which we have is finding cache containers large enuf to fit the massive TB. Luckily, the weight is not a big problem: total weight is just under 48 lbs, which is less than the weight of a 50 pound bag of chicken feed.!

 

 

 

 

[+organic.ohana]

""But, I don't like having to walk past fresh graves to get to a cache, To me, that's disrespectful.

 

Let me also go off-topic for a moment here and point out that most cemeteries are not public property. They are privately owned and maintained. The "Frisbee Rule" does not apply.""

 

============

In Honolulu I was at the Punchbowl Cemetery, and the staff asked me not to ride my bicycle. At the time it was my only transportation, so this wasn't completely logical, but as an active cemetery you must respect that people are there for a sad event, or to visit one who sadly departed recently.

 

I think the Frisbee Rule applies perfectly. It is not a place you would recreate, so don't place a cache.

 

On the other hand, old historic cemeteries would make ok caching if perhaps the cache were placed just outside of (the back, the front,......) the cemetery.

 

I know a couple of caches on my list are in or near cemeteries, but my understanding is that they are of the historic variety, some maintained, some unkept, but none with anybody new in the last decade.

[+Team Neos]

I think the Frisbee Rule applies perfectly. It is not a place you would recreate, so don't place a cache.

Some cemeteries are places that include opportunities for recreation--in specific parts of the cemetery anyway. Some cemeteries have picnic pavillions, walking paths, bike paths, and open lawns that can be used for playing frisbee or allowing children to run off extra energy while adults pay their respects nearby, etc. Many cemeteries provide tours of art displayed there. One cemetery near me offers carriage rides through the cemetery to view the statues and historic graves. They also encourage art history classes and geneaological societies to bring groups to make chalk rubbings of the stones.

 

I remember going to many cemeteries with my grandmother as a child. She would pack a picnic lunch, and we children would help her weed around the stones, carry away rubbish, and place new decorations. The we children would run and play while she visited with her cemetery friends (people she only knew because they regularly visited their departed loved ones). And then we (all the families who gathered there that day) would sit down to enjoy our picnic meals---In the summer, Grandma always took cold fried chicken, fresh bread with butter, fresh fruit, and lemonade.

[+frizz]

My wife does not as a rule go out geocaching with me, but did go with me to fiind a cache in a nearby cemetary in which her great grandparents were buried. She had never visited the gravesite, and was surprised to find not only her great grandparents stones, but the markers for five of their children, ages infant to 12, who had all died durring an epidemic within days of each other. This was one of the most emotional caches (yes I did find the cache) I had ever been on. There are many very good challenging and respectful caches in our area.

[+FireRef]

This may have been talked about, but I'd like to see how many people like Cemetery caches...

Is a Micro good, or do you like to find small ones?

 

Obviously I dont know how to reply to a message! Or Do I.....lets see! Personally I have always been an old Cemetery buff. Ill pull over at a whim just to wander about and look at headstones. In my area, Ive been trying to find the oldest cemeteries that are still open to the public ( not a small feat! ) to place caches at in a tastefull way, of course. Just to bring people to the location. An I always enjoy looking for these caches....I can spend hours wandering about. I know from some logs, that some folks dont like these placements. As for me, I want my headstone to be a cache. Of course Ill have some explaining to do beforehand if I have the opportunity.....but how cool that would be. Have Geo-cachers come and sign a log as well as pay respects.

 

"Still Open To The Public"? I don't know of any cemetaries which are closed to the public... parts of cemetaries, like mauseuoleums (sp?), but not entire cemetaries... Why would they close them off? Ok, maybe one more exception - a really old family cemetary on private property. But that's all I can think of.

 

I like the idea of the caches, as long as they are respectful. It definitely has shown me some places I didn't know existed in my area.

Edited June 25, 2006 by FireRef

[+Kacky]

The jewels are actually a lab-created kind of diamond. They just heat the remains til it solidifies. It's not cheap! Or you can also put some of the cremains in a little vial that stays sealed. People wear it as jewelry but you could make it a travel bug and hope a collector doesn't take it out of circulation. That might be less creepy than asking people to spead some.

[+Kacky]

 

"Still Open To The Public"? I don't know of any cemetaries which are closed to the public... parts of cemetaries, like mauseuoleums (sp?), but not entire cemetaries... Why would they close them off? Ok, maybe one more exception - a really old family cemetary on private property. But that's all I can think of.

 

I like the idea of the caches, as long as they are respectful. It definitely has shown me some places I didn't know existed in my area.

 

Dave, don't forget church cemeteries, and also town ones that are only open if you have a relative or friend there. There's a huge cemetery near me that doesn't allow anyone unless you are visiting a specific grave. And even then, there's no strolling allowed. It's owned by the parishioners of a Catholic church.

Edited June 25, 2006 by Kacky

[+ironman114]

I have done 4 or 5 cemetery caches.

 

One was done at night and since I couldn't find the road to it I ended up bushwhacking uphill thru heavy brush and trees to get to the starting point.

 

Another required a hike about a mile down an old logging road to get to it. Most of the graves were real old except for one that was only a couple of years old.

 

Another was the graves of another cachers relatives that were some of the first residents of the area and required a half hour hike in (it was on the old family homestead) and uphill bushwhack (no roads) to the gravestones all 3 of them. even though the area had been cleared 20 years previous and was still overgrown.

 

I enjoyed all these caches and would do more that were done tastefully.

[+Driver Carries Cache]

 

"Still Open To The Public"? I don't know of any cemetaries which are closed to the public... parts of cemetaries, like mauseuoleums (sp?), but not entire cemetaries... Why would they close them off? Ok, maybe one more exception - a really old family cemetary on private property. But that's all I can think of.

 

I like the idea of the caches, as long as they are respectful. It definitely has shown me some places I didn't know existed in my area.

 

Dave, don't forget church cemeteries, and also town ones that are only open if you have a relative or friend there. There's a huge cemetery near me that doesn't allow anyone unless you are visiting a specific grave. And even then, there's no strolling allowed. It's owned by the parishioners of a Catholic church.

 

Yep, I'll second that one. The Catholic Cemetery where my girfriend's parents are is basicly closed to the public. You can call the office and ask to be let in, but if the caretakers aren't there, the gates are closed and locked.

I think the main reason for this is rampant vandalism that happened in the past.

 

Driver Carries Cache

(madmike)

[+Team Gryarvold]

I want to be cremated, so I am still trying to figure out how to incorporate a cache into that. Any ideas?

 

(doing best Vincent Price impression) you'll have the perfect cache container already picked out.

 

Sorry I had to do it, my mind is a scary place sometimes.

 

bwmick

 

 

Oh and Vincent was one of my favs too. Great idea.

[magellan315]

In their will, has anybody ever instructed that a tiny portion (an ounce or less) of their cremains should be turned into a travel bug? I'd be interested to find out. Some people might be creeped out by the idea. What would you think if you came across such a travel bug?

 

I can read the description now: "My husband was too cheap to travel, so at least now I can see the world!"

 

Kidding aside, would it be illegal to place even a small amount cremains in a geocache? I can't imagine that it would be regulated considering that you can spread cremains just about anywhere you can get permission to do so. Would you pick up such a travel bug and move it along? I probably would.

 

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea. As long as the container is sealed somehow (I'm thinking a keychain type steel tube with the lid glued or sealed in some fashion), I wouldn't see any problem. Large Catholic churches have little pieces of all of past Popes and Saints on display as holy relics, why not a micro "Urn" travel bug?

 

Cheers,

 

Matt

 

Actually its been done, Uncle Elweyn TB. To my knowledge cremated remains can be disposed of any place as they are 100% sterile

[Mad Bee]

I like cemetery caches that are done respectfully and with a sense of history. All of the cemetery caches I have found have been well away from any markers and the cache pages do a good job of trying to point out significant markers (veterans, local forefathers, etc.) and the local history.

 

I have always been fascinated with genealogy and cemeteries. To me, the geocaches in these cemeteries usually take me to one I never would visit otherwise, give me pause to reflect on my life made possible by those that have passed on before me, and allow me pay my respects to those who might otherwise be forgotten by the general public. I will never search for a cache if I feel the search will disrespect the dead and/or disrespect those who may be there to visit a loved ones grave.

[+smilingsteeles]

I like cemetery caches that are done respectfully and with a sense of history. All of the cemetery caches I have found have been well away from any markers and the cache pages do a good job of trying to point out significant markers (veterans, local forefathers, etc.) and the local history.

 

I have always been fascinated with genealogy and cemeteries. To me, the geocaches in these cemeteries usually take me to one I never would visit otherwise, give me pause to reflect on my life made possible by those that have passed on before me, and allow me pay my respects to those who might otherwise be forgotten by the general public. I will never search for a cache if I feel the search will disrespect the dead and/or disrespect those who may be there to visit a loved ones grave.

I agree with Mad Bee. I enjoy the history behind the cemetaries. Everyone has a story and if i can learn a history lesson from caching, I am so much the wiser. I REALLY enjoy these types of caches when done thoughtfully.

[+FireRef]

I have found a couple that have been placed in bushes near or between graves, as well as one multi where the first part was placed in the grass behind a specific gravestone which was said to be the grandfather of the person who placed the cache. Another was a multi where you had to read some information about the deceased (the placer's sister) and then determine the second location from that, again, done in her memory.

 

I think this is perfectly acceptable - if it is done in a tasteful fashion. All of the ones I have come across have fit this description.

[+Kacky]

...

I think this is perfectly acceptable - if it is done in a tasteful fashion. All of the ones I have come across have fit this description.

I agree, but my 22-year-old son thinks I'm a ghoul because of it. Although he did willingly come with me recently to gather historical information for a Civil War virtual cache. It was the first time I dragged him into a cemetery where he didn't act like he was afraid I would leave him there.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Individual taste, I guess. I think that cemetery caches are extremely disrespectful, and ghoulish. They go on my 'Ignore' list, where they belong. Yes, I did find one. It was distasteful. The cache owner should have said that it was in a cemetery.

Let's all go tromping on graves to find when someone died. It may be the clue to the next stage. Gross! I have moe respect for the dead than that.

Vinny, they stopped making amber thousands of years ago. Try embedding your grandfather in plastaic. It's the new amber.

[+Astro_D]

I love them!! But for me to find one, it had best be an old country road cemetery - old gravestones, not too many and someplace that time seems to have forgotten. I don't want to go wondering around any modern day metropolis cemeteries.

 

I find when I do cemetery caches, I spend more time wandering around reading all the headstones than finding the cache. Here in our neck of the woods, a fellow cacher has a GREAT series of cemetery caches. Find the right person and then more often then not, off you go down the road to find the cache. All are respectfully done and take you to well out of the way places.

 

I have been roaming around cemeteries since I was a kid doing geneology. Geocaching, if done responsibly and respectfully is no different for me.

[+Furious_T]

Well, let's all remember what cemeteries are for. The majority of cemeteries in the country today are a result of a movement in the Victorian era know as the "rural" cemetery. Rather than the cramped and often unhealthy church graveyards of the past, large open cemeteries were laid out on the outskirts of towns across the nation, starting with Mount Auburn in Massachusetts in the 1830's. The idea was that since America was "lacking" in history but had plenty of natural beauty that they could combine monuments with nature to make the perfect place to celebrate the dead and ponder things for "moral improvement." So they imitated the monument styles of classical Greece, Rome, and Egypt, laid out winding roads and ponds, and planted trees for the maximum aesthetic beauty. The public would come to picnic, stroll, ride bikes, and enjoy the natural, historic, and sculptural scenery. Refreshments were sold and cemeteries became the major tourist attractions of the day, with foreign visitors raving about them and the movement soon spread to Europe. The idea that cemeteries are a place to be avoided unless you're there to bury someone is an increadibly modern idea. Having said this, i feel it's right to enjoy these places as they were intended and i see no disrespect as long as the cache is tasteful. Cemeteries are a place for the living just as much as for the dead, and visiting a cemetery, for a cache or not, keeps the memory of those buried there fresh, and hopefully offer some "moral improvement"

 

Sorry if that was a bit long-winded, but i wrote my undergrad thesis on the Rural Cemetery movement and how the layout of Gettysburg relates to it. There are a few great books and articles on the subject that i could point out for those interested...or if you really want i could send a copy of my thesis if you're into torturing yourself If you're into cemetery caches i reccomend at least picking up a copy of Stories in Stone as a guide to the symbolism seen in various cemetery art. Just my 2 cents....

Edited June 27, 2006 by IronBrigadeYankee

[+Furious_T]

Also, if you're so inclined, try not to take rubbings of graves, as too many people doing this can erode the surface away, and acid rain has already damaged many marble monuments. A good alternative is to photograph the monument just before noon on a sunny day. As most Christian graves face east, the shadow should give you pretty good relief detail.

[ImpalaBob]

Koikeeper & I like them. Heck .... We live on Cemetery Lane! We recently did one called Over the Centuries GCV26K ..... was I suprised to find that almost all the headstones had my family name on them! Man was that spooky. ImpalaBob

[Guyute1210]

Just did a little hunting on the site and, yep, somebody has had their ashes turned into a travel bug .... to be spread a teaspoon at a time in all 50 states.

 

Not sure if the idea of cremains in a mason jar would be a good one, IMHO. One poster astutely posted "Just don't write 'creamer substitute' on the side!"

 

[LINK]

 

Matt

I'm not sure that TB "remains" are real. They might be, but Uncle Elwyn and some of the writing come from a Barenaked Ladies song.

 

To remain OT, I'm planning a puzzle/offset cache in a cemetary, the actual container will be on the cemetary property but in the woods. The grave stones used for the puzzle can all be seen from concrete road or sidewalk to help protect and respect the "residents" and their families.

[+FireRef]

Just did a little hunting on the site and, yep, somebody has had their ashes turned into a travel bug .... to be spread a teaspoon at a time in all 50 states.

 

Not sure if the idea of cremains in a mason jar would be a good one, IMHO. One poster astutely posted "Just don't write 'creamer substitute' on the side!"

 

[LINK]

 

Matt

I'm not sure that TB "remains" are real. They might be, but Uncle Elwyn and some of the writing come from a Barenaked Ladies song.

 

To remain OT, I'm planning a puzzle/offset cache in a cemetary, the actual container will be on the cemetary property but in the woods. The grave stones used for the puzzle can all be seen from concrete road or sidewalk to help protect and respect the "residents" and their families.

 

Well, I don't think the residents will put up much of a fight - haha - couldn't resist!

[Tally Dragon]

As a child growing up here in Tallahassee I used to shortcut through the city cemetery. I was intrigued by some of the unusual gravestones, one in particular. It's a large above ground mausoleum, old, and very ornate. The rumor was the deceased was sitting inside in a rocking chair. Children have a way of making up stories about such things to make them more interesting!

 

Later in life I did some research and found that the truth about "The Tomb" was even more interesting. So I added some information about it to a web site of mine on Tallahassee history. Then I decided to hide a geocache there to share this location with my fellow geocachers. At first I was just going to hide a micro somewhere on the tomb, but the reviewer convinced me to make it an offset multi-cache. I found a good spot nearby to hide a mini sized cache container and worked out a puzzle that utilized the dates on some adjacent head stones. This worked out real good for protecting the graves and adding a little fun to figuring it out.

 

One thing I've learned about hiding geocaches, is that when you do, your putting crosshairs on that particular location. While most geocachers are very considerate of public and private property, some are not. In their zeal to find the cache they will sometimes destroy the surroundings. Or their children will. Ever wonder why someone would tear the paper towel holder off the bathroom wall? Me too!

[+markz68]

I would say that about 90% of the caches around me are in cemeteries. The majority of these have been placed by a team named ISQ (Indiana Spirit Quest) who have hidden about 450 cemetery caches.

 

They do a fantastic job of placing caches (from micros to ammo cans) while respecting the cemeteries and the people buried in them. The cache descriptions also take the time to teach you about the area and the people. I have seen several civil war and revolutionary war graves. Just this past weekend, I saw the grave of Wendell Wilkie, the only Hoosier to have been nominated by a national party to be the Presendential Candidate. He lost to FDR by the way.

 

I have really enjoyed these caches and have also taken a lot of neat pictures.

 

Be sure to check out my profile if you wanna see some of them. Be sure to check out the way they do the descriptions.

[wandat24]

Well, let's all remember what cemeteries are for. The majority of cemeteries in the country today are a result of a movement in the Victorian era know as the "rural" cemetery. Rather than the cramped and often unhealthy church graveyards of the past, large open cemeteries were laid out on the outskirts of towns across the nation, starting with Mount Auburn in Massachusetts in the 1830's. The idea was that since America was "lacking" in history but had plenty of natural beauty that they could combine monuments with nature to make the perfect place to celebrate the dead and ponder things for "moral improvement." So they imitated the monument styles of classical Greece, Rome, and Egypt, laid out winding roads and ponds, and planted trees for the maximum aesthetic beauty. The public would come to picnic, stroll, ride bikes, and enjoy the natural, historic, and sculptural scenery. Refreshments were sold and cemeteries became the major tourist attractions of the day, with foreign visitors raving about them and the movement soon spread to Europe. The idea that cemeteries are a place to be avoided unless you're there to bury someone is an increadibly modern idea. Having said this, i feel it's right to enjoy these places as they were intended and i see no disrespect as long as the cache is tasteful. Cemeteries are a place for the living just as much as for the dead, and visiting a cemetery, for a cache or not, keeps the memory of those buried there fresh, and hopefully offer some "moral improvement"

 

Sorry if that was a bit long-winded, but i wrote my undergrad thesis on the Rural Cemetery movement and how the layout of Gettysburg relates to it. There are a few great books and articles on the subject that i could point out for those interested...or if you really want i could send a copy of my thesis if you're into torturing yourself If you're into cemetery caches i reccomend at least picking up a copy of Stories in Stone as a guide to the symbolism seen in various cemetery art. Just my 2 cents....

I was hoping someone with the same point of view would reply. The first one I did in a cemetery I'll admit threw me off, but I did enjoy it after the actual thought came to mind that I could "kill two birds with one stone" I could find a cache and look at old graves/headstones at the same time.