Thursday, September 22, 2011

Odd Fellows Cemetery & Hooded Grave Cemetery

Ok this next cemetery I didn't even plan to go to until a few days before we left for Pennsylvania. This is where my grandpa's aunts uncles and grandparents are buried.

I didn't see a sign for the cemetery. I improvised though...
This helped me remember what cemetery I was looking at. 

Oh wait I lied.... there was a sign... 
Very tiny. hah.

Charles, Cora, Russel (Rudy), and Jessie Persing (Maiden name escapes me right now). On the back is Morris and Florence Yeager (Persing).

Ok so thats it for Odd Fellows. Exciting I know. So I figure why not include the Hooded Grave one too?

Now I don't have any peeps in the Hooded Grave cemetery. But it's cool. It's located in Catawissa near one of the farmers market things (I can't spell it to save my soul. Cute giftshop inside though). Also near the red deer farm.

Everyone ready for story time again? Ok good.



So once upon a time people we buried in shallow graves and had either no coffin or a wooden coffin. From what my grandpa told me, there were things put over the graves to stop wolves from getting to the corpses. I just did some googling and found some more info on this cemetery. That will be posted lower down. Also found a video on youtube. I only took pictures from the car so I'll include the youtube video as well.



The one article says these are "Mortsafes". According to wikipedia they are designed to protect the bodies of the dead.

Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortsafe

Article from a newsletter: http://www.colcohist-gensoc.org/Essays/Cages%20on%20Graves%20Explained.pdf

Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JUzWiU6xvY (including creepy carnival music?)



2 comments:

  1. Wow you answered some questions for me!

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  2. It's near Rohrbach's Farm Market. I grew up very near there. I did some research and apparently it's the only "hooded" grave in the nation! And it is very cool!!

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