Bellefontaine Cemetery

Dec 31

Bellefontaine Cemetery is a cemetery and arboretum in St. Louis, Missouri. The cemetery opened in 1849 and is home to a number of architecturally significant monuments and mausoleums some of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the final resting place for war heroes, politicians, celebrities, the rich and everything in between. Bellefontaine has a total land area of 314 acres and contains 87,500 graves.

Caiti wanted to come here but I wasn’t so keen when she mentioned it. It is after all a cemetery…..home to dead people. It is located in a suspect part of town, the part that you would normally drive thru as quick as possible not bothering to stop at signs or signals. All around is rundown buildings, mischievous people walking about and the sound of car stereos bumping. When I turned in things changed immediately, it was heavenly.

I’ve been to some famous ones before; New Orleans “St. Louis #1”, the “haunted moss” Bonaventure Cemetery in Savanana, the Catacombs of Rome but this was different. The mausoleums were elegant and tasteful, majestic looking.

It was early spring and the Magnolias were in full bloom as well as the tulips letting you know spring had sprung in St. Louis. It was peaceful and quiet here and it felt like I had journeyed back in time. I parked the truck and we walked the grounds. How could this place exist sandwiched between the ghetto and the interstate and how could I have passed this on my drive to work for years and not know it was here?

These monuments and statues had to cost a fortune and take an extraordinary amount of time to make. And who are the people these were made for, who lies beneath these shrines? What did they do and what kind of people were they? What was life like for them and the time they were on this earth? These are all questions we think about at cemeteries.

The monuments ranged from simple headstones to large pillars, large limestone structures to polished marble. Some stuck out and dried you in, some required deep thought. The seated figure below was sculpted by George Zolnay and was initialy terrifying to see, it spooked me a bit. After some time staring I realized it wasn’t scary it was love and sorrow.

I found this one built into a hillside to be enchanting, almost like a hobbits house in Lord of the Rings.

The Busch Family

Adolphus Busch (1839 – 1913) was the German-born co-founder of Anheuser-Busch with his father-in-law, Eberhard Anheuser. He introduced numerous innovations, building the success of the company in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He became a philanthropist, using some of his wealth for education and humanitarian needs.

Written atop the entrance was chiseled; Veni, Vidi, Vici……"I came,I saw, I conquered! Wow!

What needs to happen in this lifetime to make that bold a statement across your death marker? These words were first murmured by Julius Cesar after quickly defeating his enemies and expanding his empire. Here they are etched in eternity for Adlophus Busch who created a beer empire. Perhaps its time to step up my game….. What do I need to accomplish for those to be written upon my gravesite.