With storms on the horizon and lower temperatures in sight, I ventured out to Green Lawn Cemetery this morning. Venture is the appropriate word here...I had no idea what an ordeal it would be to get there from my cozy room at the Blackwell hotel.
I first considered busing it, as the COTA bus system is even more user friendly than Seattle Metro, of which I was an expert some years ago. After much searching of the trip planner website and a phone call to COTA, I discovered that the closest bus stop was a good 1/2 mile from the place.
The morning air was beginning to steam and the cooling rain seemed some hours away. In light of that and my innate ability to get lost in even the most familiar surroundings, I opted to pay for a cab. In retrospect, I wouldn't recommend this approach. Green Lawn is best explore by vehicle, you'll see why in a moment.
Along with everything else in the world, cab fare has gone up! Way up from the last time I used this service apparently. $11.00 seemed outrageous for the scant few blocks we travelled from the corner of High & Broad to Green Lawn Avenue. But, cabbies have to pay 4 bucks a gallon for gas same as everyone else, so I couldn't complain too much about the price.
He dropped me off at the cemetery office. It was rather plain for such a historic (and allegedly haunted) cemetery. I was very excited to discover in my early morning Internet search that they offered bus tours of the grounds, complete with guides in period costume. And we all know how much I LOVE period costume!
Sadly, this was not the day for a bus tour. I inquired at the desk and was simply told:"No." A few seconds passed as I waited for a clarifying remark. "No, that's tomorrow" or "No, only on Saturdays". All I got was the no, but she did give me lots of paperwork about the place, and we all know how much I LOVE paperwork!
I glanced at the handful of maps and brochures, some of which noted graves of historical significance. "Is there a particular section of historical markers?" I asked. "They're all over the place, the first are quite a ways into the cemetery, we have over 400 acres here."
400 acres. That explains the need for bus tours. That also presents a sizable problem. I was on foot here. The day was just beginning to sizzle as the steam built up to greet those coming rains. Worse yet, there was no breeze. None. It was like being in a sauna. With my half empty bottle of water I was ill prepared for this trip. But what the heck, I was already here and I'd invested $11 to get here. Might as well drag my ass around the grounds for awhile.
This was the first time I viewed the map in earnest. As any CAPS member can tell ya, Kimberly is not so good at the map reading. Plus there was the added distraction of section numbers. After turning the colorful map over in my hands a few times; looking at it sideways and upside down, I decided just to start walking. Hopefully my "spidey sense" would kick in and lead me to the place I was seeking.
I began to wander...something at which I possess considerable skill...and eventually found my way to an odd little chapel...complete with a lovely stained glass window. If I had bothered to bring the proper USB cable, you'd be seeing pics of it right now! But I promise I'll add those later.
I snapped a couple shots and walked around the shadiest path I could find to some older looking markers. There was really no specific goal to this visit. Just to check out some historic graves, take some cool pics, and maybe get more than gravestones in the shots!
At this point, I had to take a breather. The sun was rising ever higher in the sky, making its way around leaves and branches and beating down on me ruthlessly. I found a quiet little concrete bench that offered a bit of shade, and sat down to catch my breath.
I sat there quietly, sipping my water, for some time. The hope was that some of the cemetery's permanent residents would come to pay me a visit. After about 20 minutes of watching and waiting, I decided to get moving. There wasn't much more walking to be done. I could tell that the far reaches of the place (where most of the older plots lay, of course) held no respite from the sun. Not wanting the embarrassment of having a heat stroke in a cemetery, I decided to take the shadiest path back to the office and call a cab home.
Shadiest and fastest were not in the same subset. The path meandered and it took longer than I expected to make it back to the office...which had no air conditioning let me mention. While waiting for my cab, I realized that I would have been better off renting a car or at best finding out beforehand when these mysterious tours take place. But regret wasn't going to help me know as I sat there panting and sweating while the receptionist offered me a glass of water.
Hunting this place would take a massive effort. I doubt you could do it in a night, even with a whole army of investigators. And don't even get me started on the fact that they have a whole section on the website dedicated to "nature". A CAPS girl's worst enemy!
Still it was a beautiful place.
In lieu of my pics...please take a look at the COPRG website (Central Ohio Paranormal Research Group). Only a few shots of the place, under the pictures on page 1, but more interesting stuff from a ghost hunter's perspective:
See also the Green Lawn website, chock full of interesting stuff! Click on the "Cemetery Founding" link on the left sidebar for an interesting story of how it came to be.
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