Tombstone tourist

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tombstone Tourist (otherwise known as "cemetery enthusist" or "grave hunters" or "gravers") describes an individual who travels to visit cemeteries for the enjoyment of looking at old and unusual stones or to find the graves of famous people. The term has been most notably used by author and biographer Scott Stanton as the title if his 2003 book and his former website [1] on the lives and gravesites of famous musicians. Tombstone tourists are usually more interested in the historial aspects of cemeteries or the historical relavence of it denizens

[edit] History

The hunting of famous graves or admiring cemeteries is not a current practice. For centuries, people have made pilgrimages to the burial sites of religious icons and leaders. In fact, such was a common practice during medieval times when people went to gravesites or to shrines to venerate saints. [2] In China, the ancient tradition of Ancestor Worship [3] also involved a veneration of dead relatives with visitations to shrines and gravesites.

During the 19th century garden cemeteries [4] began to appear that encouraged a visitor to stay and visit in the cemetery. Famous among these is the Pere Lachaise cemetery [5]in Paris, France which continues to invite tourists to visit and see ellaborate memorials not only to the famous of world, but to lesser known individuals.

Cemetery records have also been a way of verifying genealogical data. Making Gravestone Rubbings [6] has been in practice for centuries as a way of providing this documenation and appreciating the carvings on the tombstones. Among genealogists, scouring cemeteries looking for the graves of dead ancestors is common and long standing practice with individuals often relying on limited and outdated information to find burial sites

[edit] Today

The appreciation of cemeteries has evolved long with science and technology. Today you can sit in your computer chair and visit cemeteries (and in some cases the gravesites of your own ancestors) on websites such as Find A Grave. There are also many websites and books devoted to people's personal explorations into cemeteries, particularly ones that contain the remains of famous individuals. There are also tour companies that organize and plan tours to famous cemeteries.

The hunting of graves as well has become digital with the use of GPS systems to locate the area where a graveyard containing a grave is reputed to be. Many cemetery transcribers and ancestor have been using this equipment in the pursuit of their goals. Find A Grave in particular includes GPS coordinates whenever possible.