American Cemeteries

Arlington, Va.

Arlington House was originally the home of Confederate general Robert E. Lee, who lost the property during the Civil War. The grounds were turned into Arlington National Cemetery in 1864 by Brig. Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs, who turned the land into a military cemetery so that Lee wouldn't be able to live there if he returned.

Savannah, Ga.

Bonaventure started as a small family cemetery on the grounds of a plantation. It was made famous by the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (referred to by locals as “The Book”), which details the odd events surrounding a Savannah murder. It was later turned into a major motion picture starring Kevin Spacey and Jude Law.

Tombstone, Ariz.

The infamous Boot Hill Cemetery started as an informal burial ground, springing up from deaths caused by lawlessness and disease in the 1870s and ‘80s. It got its name because the interred died of unnatural causes, usually with their boots still on their feet. During the 1940s, the town of Tombstone launched a major restoration effort, resulting in the cemetery site that tourists can visit today.

Gettysburg, Pa.

Gettysburg was a turning point for Union soldiers during the Civil War – but victory was not without a price. It was the deadliest battle of the war, resulting in over 50,000 casualties. The grounds are supposedly haunted, and many visitors have reported seeing the ghosts of soldiers, particularly from the Confederacy, wandering at night.

Brooklyn, N.Y.

Since its founding in 1838, this 478-acre oasis has been the resting place for many notable New Yorkers, including Horace Greeley, Leonard Bernstein and Jean-Michel Basquiat. It’s also a great spot for bird-watching and rumor has it that you can see some parakeets, descendants of a flock that escaped from an airport on the way to South America in the 1960s.

Seattle

Lakeview, founded in 1873, isn't located on a hill just for the great views. Most bodies buried in the soggy downtown area of Seattle prior to the 1870s were exhumed and relocated here. It is the burial ground of Princess Angeline (Chief Seattle’s daughter), many Japanese American veterans, and Bruce and Brandon Lee, whose ghosts have been spotted roaming the grounds.

Salem, Mass.

This cemetery (also known as Burying Point), founded in 1637 and written about by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is the second oldest cemetery in the country. It is the resting place of poet Anne Bradstreet, Mayflower passenger Richard More, and witch trial judge John Hawthorne. Next door is the Salem Witch Trials Memorial, burying grounds of the witch hunt victims, including John Proctor, made famous in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.

Washington, D.C.

Rock Creek Cemetery was established in 1719 and is often described as Washington’s most beautiful cemetery. The grave marker pictured above is referred to as the Grief Memorial. It was commissioned in 1891 by Henry Adams, who had sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens create it in honor of his wife. At the time, the sculpture was so popular that it inspired a forgery.

New Orleans

St. Louis Cemetery is the oldest (and most haunted) of the “Cities of the Dead” in New Orleans. These mausoleums were built above ground to prevent bodies from popping up through the swampy soil during floods. The tomb pictured above is Marie Laveau’s – the legendary “Voodoo Queen.” The XXX markings are made by those whose requests have been granted by the priestess – even after her death.