Ten American Mausoleums to Put on Your Trip Planner
- At May 14, 2014
- By communitymaus
- In Article
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We don’t have anything like the Taj Mahal or the pyramids in the U.S., but we do have our own historic mausoleums. From the gothic to the avant garde, American mausoleums showcase a wide variety of styles with their own unique charms.
Put these American mausoleums on your list of places to visit when you find yourself in the area.
- New Orleans Cemeteries, LA
The above ground cemeteries of New Orleans are worthwhile tourist spots. Peaceful in the daytime and spooky at night, the cemeteries offer tourists a walk through the history of New Orleans and its inhabitants, including prominent New Orleans families and clergy members. The Metairie Cemetery has the largest collection of marble tombs and funerary statues in the city.
- Abraham Lincoln’s Tomb, Springfield, IL
Lincoln’s tomb is designated as a National Historic Landmark and is managed by the state of Illinois. As expected, the memorial is grand, featuring a 117-foot high obelisk infantry and cavalry statues, a bronze statue of Lincoln’s head, and an Art Deco marble burial room. Lincoln’s nose remains shiny due to visitors rubbing it for good luck.
- General Grant National Memorial, New York City, NY
The private mausoleum of President Ulysses S. Grant was completed in 1897 and now stands in Upper Manhattan. Its architect, John Hemenway Duncan created a structure that was “unmistakably a tomb of military character.” Grant, along with his wife Julia, were interred in a stately red granite sarcophagus.
- Tombs at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia
Arlington National Cemetery is America’s foremost military cemetery and the site where many servicemen and servicewomen are buried, dating back to the Civil War. The prominent mausoleum of Lt. General Nelson Appleton Miles and his family is located atop a hill in Arlington National Cemetery. The Tomb of the Unknowns – a tomb for unidentified soldiers – is also located there.
- The Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
The Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii, or Mauna ‘Ala, in Honolulu is the final resting place of the Kamehameha Dynasty and the Kalakaua Dynasty. A small chapel, done in a Gothic Revival style, sits at the center of the private mausoleum’s grounds. Kamehameha I’s remains were originally hidden due to the traditional Hawaiian practice of preserving royal power. A select few caretakers maintain the grounds and remains.
- Percival Lowell Mausoleum, Flagstaff, AZ
The Percival Lowell Mausoleum is located on Mars Hill near the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Lowell founded the observatory in the late 1800s and dedicated his life to astronomy, leading efforts in the discovery of Pluto. His mausoleum, which has been reconstructed over time, looks like a miniature observatory.
- Henry Flagler’s Mausoleum, St. Augustine, FL
The Memorial Presbyterian Church in St. Augustine, Florida, was built in 1889 by business tycoon Henry Morrison Flagler. Flagler, his wife, his daughter, and granddaughter, are interred in a marble mausoleum within the church. The church’s architecture was inspired by St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice and displays a grand Renaissance style.
- Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, CA
Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California, is the largest cemetery in the U.S. It boasts an impressive array of private and community mausoleums, including the Whittier Heights Mausoleum, four garden mausoleums, and the Buddhist Columbarium, the last of which contains an impressive 21,000 niches for cremated remains. Many notable individuals are interred there, including rapper Easy-E and South Vietnamese President Duong Van Minh.
- Queen of Heaven Mausoleum, Hillside, IL
The Queen of Heaven in Hillside, Illinois, is a Catholic cemetery that has one of the first modern community mausoleums in the U.S. Adorned with beautiful stained glass windows, vibrant colors, and modern furniture, the community mausoleum at Queen of Heaven is a popular resting place for Chicago families and a fascinating subject for architectural photographers.
- Tomb of the Uga Mascots, Athens, GA
What’s an uga, you ask? Ugas are the official mascot of the University of Georgia Bulldogs. Since 1956, an English bulldog has served as the mascot for the school’s athletic teams. Deceased ugas are interred in a private mausoleum guarded by a bronze uga statue near Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia.