GREEN MOUNT CEMETERY
1501 Greenmount Avenue
Baltimore, MD. 21202
410.539.0641
Established: 1838
Acres: 72
Official Website
Bella Morte Rating: 5 Tombstones
The approach to Green Mount Cemetery is one we have, sadly, become familiar with. A previously beautiful rural setting swallowed whole by the once fairly remote city it was established to serve. Over time, the city itself fell prey to suburban flight and other factors which have now left Baltimore’s taphophilic crown jewel floundering amidst urban destitution and decay. In an effort to preserve the grounds, all visitors are actually required to sign in at the office before entering the cemetery.
Our visit occurred on a slightly chilly and very rainy morning in May. This made us doubly grateful for our pre-planning which promised us access to the community mausoleum. Accordingly, after checking in, we drove to the mausoleum where we were met by a kind staff member who unlocked the doors and then left us to explore on our own!
The mausoleum is a three story, fortress-like structure with two soaring granite columns flanking the massive bronze entry doors. Relief sculptures of mourners adorn the stone façade. These reliefs are the work of Hans Schuler and J. Maxwell Miller, artists who collaborated on these carvings and who also have very impressive bronze sculptures elsewhere on the grounds. But more on that in a bit.
Following a rather routine exploration of the mausoleum’s fairly unremarkable interior which contains 675 crypts and over 200 cremation niches, we came upon an intriguing private room on the top floor. Beneath the name “Emerson,” a heavily-decorated bronze door featuring a large cross beckoned to us. The interior of the room was extremely dark and the switch could not awaken the bulb. Fortunately, the lights of our cell phones were able to illuminate the space and allow us a view of two ornate bronze caskets draped in deep blue velvet. Sitting side by side on raised marble pedestals, the caskets loomed imposingly in front of black granite crypt fronts with white marble veining and bronze name plates.
The caskets contain the earthly remains of Green Mount mausoleum’s most famous eternal residents, Mr. Isaac Edward Emerson and his second wife, Anne Rebecca Preston Emerson. Mr. Emerson made his fortune as the inventor of Bromo-Seltzer, a fizzy bicarbonate pain-reliever similar to Alka-Seltzer. Among other claims to fame, Emerson was responsible for the construction of the Baltimore landmark Emerson Tower. The tower, now home to artist’s studios, once featured a 51 foot replica of the famous cobalt blue Bromo-Seltzer bottle which revolved at the tower’s peak. Illuminated by 314 bulbs and topped with a crown, the bottle was a hallmark of the city until its removal in 1936 due to structural concerns.
We departed the shelter of the mausoleum and began a miserable (weather-wise) 4.5 hour shoot of the grounds. At times, the rainfall was so hard and the wind so strong that even sheltering the camera with a large umbrella failed to produce proper pictures. This necessitated our going back to re-shoot several monuments. Soaked to the skin, water literally sloshing in our shoes, we forged ahead, undeterred…and understandably so as Green Mount’s grounds are captivating and several of her monuments so beautiful as to earn the distinction of being some of the most enchanting we have ever had the privilege of beholding.
Case in point, “Meditation,” a stunning, larger-than-life bronze figure commissioned by the Baetjer family to keep silent vigil over their mortal remains. Sculptor Hans Schuler created a true masterpiece in this figure of a heavily draped, veiled woman whose handful of poppies, slightly bowed head and relaxed posture conjure feelings of peace and recollection. Nearby, “Memory,” another overwhelmingly beautiful bronze by Schuler, graces the Riggs family plot. Draped dramatically across a massive stone over which her diaphanous robes flow, “Memory” clasps a rose in her left hand and a wreath in her right. Both sculptures are so engaging as to invite hours of quiet contemplation; alas, the weather and time constraints disallowed such revelry and we were forced to forge ahead.
Fortunately, “Meditation” and “Memory” were not the end of the veritable gallery of Schuler’s work on display at Green Mount. Another piece which, like “Meditation,” was commissioned by the Baetjer family, shows a kneeling woman in relief casting roses from her lap. Elsewhere, an angel holding lilies stands in testimony to the brief life of Lorraine Gill Cochran, who died at age eleven. The Marburg family memorial near the front gate features a woman carrying a palm frond in her left hand while her right arm is raised to the sky. The inscription on the marble pedestal on which she stands reads: “The true victory is a life well lived.”
As we sloshed about the grounds, we discovered two arrestingly attractive stone monuments standing side-by-side. We later learned that these, too, are the work of Schuler. Commemorating the McCallum and Lockwood families, the memorial features an impressive figure of Grief, her face dramatically shielded by her arm and upswept cape, as well as a more stylized image of an angel holding a bouquet of roses.
At least three more Schuler memorials grace the grounds of Green Mount.
All three of these stunning monuments are set against the backdrop of the octagon-shaped Gothic Revival Chapel. Sadly, the building is in an extreme state of disrepair and is, therefore, off limits to the public. In fact, at the time of our visit, a fence surrounded much of the building and the ground around it, littered with pieces of the buttresses which had yielded to the onslaught of time and neglect. Despite its sad condition, however, the Chapel remains a captivating structure with its 102 foot spire, columns, arches and porte-cochere.
The basement of the Chapel was excavated sometime in the 1930’s to make way for Green Mount’s crematorium and columbarium. We were not able to ascertain if the columbarium remains in its subterranean space beneath the Chapel, but, judging by the building’s Gothic exterior and failing condition, an exploratory trip to the basement would be a delightfully creepy journey, columbarium or not.
But back to the subject of monuments…
Aside from the aforementioned “Meditation” and “Memory,” sculptures, the grounds also feature William Henry Rinehart’s “Love Reconciled with Death.” Commissioned by William T. Walters, a friend of the artist, this sculpture marks the grave of William’s wife, Ellen. It depicts a woman, arm extended as she strews the ground with flowers. The pedestal on which she stands is graced with a bronze relief of Ellen’s face in profile. Nearby is another of Rinehart’s pieces, “Endymion.” This piece, depicting the sleep of the beautiful character from Greek mythology, marks the sculptor’s own grave.
Elsewhere, above the inscription, "For the trumpet shall sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed,” J. Maxwell Miller’s “Angel of the Resurrection” stands in testament to the Tucker family. Eyes turned heavenward, the angel rests his hands on a trumpet as if awaiting a signal from above.
Of course, there is more to Green Mount than her lovely sculptures, but we will leave that for you to discover on your own. The grounds themselves are quite beautiful and offer a lovely eternal rest to the famous, the infamous (John Wilkes Booth is buried there) and the ordinary. The cemetery definitely merits a pilgrimage despite its less-than-desirable location. Once inside, Green Mount offers that particular kind of peace that every taphophile knows and savours. Go for a visit yourself and you will see.
{G}
1501 Greenmount Avenue
Baltimore, MD. 21202
410.539.0641
Established: 1838
Acres: 72
Official Website
Bella Morte Rating: 5 Tombstones
The approach to Green Mount Cemetery is one we have, sadly, become familiar with. A previously beautiful rural setting swallowed whole by the once fairly remote city it was established to serve. Over time, the city itself fell prey to suburban flight and other factors which have now left Baltimore’s taphophilic crown jewel floundering amidst urban destitution and decay. In an effort to preserve the grounds, all visitors are actually required to sign in at the office before entering the cemetery.
Our visit occurred on a slightly chilly and very rainy morning in May. This made us doubly grateful for our pre-planning which promised us access to the community mausoleum. Accordingly, after checking in, we drove to the mausoleum where we were met by a kind staff member who unlocked the doors and then left us to explore on our own!
The mausoleum is a three story, fortress-like structure with two soaring granite columns flanking the massive bronze entry doors. Relief sculptures of mourners adorn the stone façade. These reliefs are the work of Hans Schuler and J. Maxwell Miller, artists who collaborated on these carvings and who also have very impressive bronze sculptures elsewhere on the grounds. But more on that in a bit.
Following a rather routine exploration of the mausoleum’s fairly unremarkable interior which contains 675 crypts and over 200 cremation niches, we came upon an intriguing private room on the top floor. Beneath the name “Emerson,” a heavily-decorated bronze door featuring a large cross beckoned to us. The interior of the room was extremely dark and the switch could not awaken the bulb. Fortunately, the lights of our cell phones were able to illuminate the space and allow us a view of two ornate bronze caskets draped in deep blue velvet. Sitting side by side on raised marble pedestals, the caskets loomed imposingly in front of black granite crypt fronts with white marble veining and bronze name plates.
The caskets contain the earthly remains of Green Mount mausoleum’s most famous eternal residents, Mr. Isaac Edward Emerson and his second wife, Anne Rebecca Preston Emerson. Mr. Emerson made his fortune as the inventor of Bromo-Seltzer, a fizzy bicarbonate pain-reliever similar to Alka-Seltzer. Among other claims to fame, Emerson was responsible for the construction of the Baltimore landmark Emerson Tower. The tower, now home to artist’s studios, once featured a 51 foot replica of the famous cobalt blue Bromo-Seltzer bottle which revolved at the tower’s peak. Illuminated by 314 bulbs and topped with a crown, the bottle was a hallmark of the city until its removal in 1936 due to structural concerns.
We departed the shelter of the mausoleum and began a miserable (weather-wise) 4.5 hour shoot of the grounds. At times, the rainfall was so hard and the wind so strong that even sheltering the camera with a large umbrella failed to produce proper pictures. This necessitated our going back to re-shoot several monuments. Soaked to the skin, water literally sloshing in our shoes, we forged ahead, undeterred…and understandably so as Green Mount’s grounds are captivating and several of her monuments so beautiful as to earn the distinction of being some of the most enchanting we have ever had the privilege of beholding.
Case in point, “Meditation,” a stunning, larger-than-life bronze figure commissioned by the Baetjer family to keep silent vigil over their mortal remains. Sculptor Hans Schuler created a true masterpiece in this figure of a heavily draped, veiled woman whose handful of poppies, slightly bowed head and relaxed posture conjure feelings of peace and recollection. Nearby, “Memory,” another overwhelmingly beautiful bronze by Schuler, graces the Riggs family plot. Draped dramatically across a massive stone over which her diaphanous robes flow, “Memory” clasps a rose in her left hand and a wreath in her right. Both sculptures are so engaging as to invite hours of quiet contemplation; alas, the weather and time constraints disallowed such revelry and we were forced to forge ahead.
Fortunately, “Meditation” and “Memory” were not the end of the veritable gallery of Schuler’s work on display at Green Mount. Another piece which, like “Meditation,” was commissioned by the Baetjer family, shows a kneeling woman in relief casting roses from her lap. Elsewhere, an angel holding lilies stands in testimony to the brief life of Lorraine Gill Cochran, who died at age eleven. The Marburg family memorial near the front gate features a woman carrying a palm frond in her left hand while her right arm is raised to the sky. The inscription on the marble pedestal on which she stands reads: “The true victory is a life well lived.”
As we sloshed about the grounds, we discovered two arrestingly attractive stone monuments standing side-by-side. We later learned that these, too, are the work of Schuler. Commemorating the McCallum and Lockwood families, the memorial features an impressive figure of Grief, her face dramatically shielded by her arm and upswept cape, as well as a more stylized image of an angel holding a bouquet of roses.
At least three more Schuler memorials grace the grounds of Green Mount.
All three of these stunning monuments are set against the backdrop of the octagon-shaped Gothic Revival Chapel. Sadly, the building is in an extreme state of disrepair and is, therefore, off limits to the public. In fact, at the time of our visit, a fence surrounded much of the building and the ground around it, littered with pieces of the buttresses which had yielded to the onslaught of time and neglect. Despite its sad condition, however, the Chapel remains a captivating structure with its 102 foot spire, columns, arches and porte-cochere.
The basement of the Chapel was excavated sometime in the 1930’s to make way for Green Mount’s crematorium and columbarium. We were not able to ascertain if the columbarium remains in its subterranean space beneath the Chapel, but, judging by the building’s Gothic exterior and failing condition, an exploratory trip to the basement would be a delightfully creepy journey, columbarium or not.
But back to the subject of monuments…
Aside from the aforementioned “Meditation” and “Memory,” sculptures, the grounds also feature William Henry Rinehart’s “Love Reconciled with Death.” Commissioned by William T. Walters, a friend of the artist, this sculpture marks the grave of William’s wife, Ellen. It depicts a woman, arm extended as she strews the ground with flowers. The pedestal on which she stands is graced with a bronze relief of Ellen’s face in profile. Nearby is another of Rinehart’s pieces, “Endymion.” This piece, depicting the sleep of the beautiful character from Greek mythology, marks the sculptor’s own grave.
Elsewhere, above the inscription, "For the trumpet shall sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed,” J. Maxwell Miller’s “Angel of the Resurrection” stands in testament to the Tucker family. Eyes turned heavenward, the angel rests his hands on a trumpet as if awaiting a signal from above.
Of course, there is more to Green Mount than her lovely sculptures, but we will leave that for you to discover on your own. The grounds themselves are quite beautiful and offer a lovely eternal rest to the famous, the infamous (John Wilkes Booth is buried there) and the ordinary. The cemetery definitely merits a pilgrimage despite its less-than-desirable location. Once inside, Green Mount offers that particular kind of peace that every taphophile knows and savours. Go for a visit yourself and you will see.
{G}