Tombstone Tourist (otherwise known as "cemetery
enthusiast" or "grave hunter" or "graver") 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 of his 2003 book and his former website
[190654]
on the lives and gravesites of famous musicians. Tombstone tourists
are usually more interested in the historical aspects of cemeteries
or the historical relevance of its denizens.
History
For centuries, people have made
pilgrimages to the burial sites of religious
icons and leaders. In fact, such was common during medieval times
when people went to gravesites or to shrines to venerate saints.
[190655] In China, the ancient tradition of
Ancestor Worship[190656] also involved a veneration of dead
relatives with visitations to shrines and gravesites.
During the 19th century garden cemeteries
[190657] began to appear that encouraged a
visitor to stay and visit in the cemetery. Famous among these is
the Pere Lachaise cemetery
[190658] in Paris, France which continues to invite
tourists to visit and see elaborate 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
[190659] has been in practice for centuries as a way
of providing this documentation and appreciating the carvings on
the tombstones. Among genealogists, scouring cemeteries looking for
the graves of dead ancestors is a common and long standing practice
with individuals often relying on limited and outdated information
to find burial sites
Today
The appreciation of cemeteries has evolved along with science and
technology. The Internet allows enthusiasts to visit cemeteries
(and in some cases the gravesites of their 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 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 hunters have
been using this equipment in the pursuit of their goals.
Find A Grave in particular includes GPS
coordinates whenever possible.
Further reading
See also
External links
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