Trinity Church Cemetery

Alexandra not only gave us a list of place to eat, she also gave solid recommendations on places to visit. I loved reading her blog, so I knew whatever she suggested would be worth the stop. The Trinity Church Cemetery can be found in lower Manhattan and is home to 17th century tomb stones. The idea of tomb stones that old is really what sold it for me, but famous notables like Alexander Hamilton are also buried there. I didn't realize this until afterwards, but I also learned that there are different parts to this cemetery.

The headstone above is the oldest one in the cemetery. It belongs to 5 year old Richard Churcher, son of William Churcher, and dates back to 1681! Unfortunately, a quick Google search did not bring up much about who William Churcher was. It so fascinating all that this little cemetery has endured over the last 300ish years.

Whether or not you like cemeteries, Trinity Churchyard is definitely a quiet refuge in the middle of bustling Manhattan. It's a quick little walk, and definitely worth your time. It's free to enter, and you're probably likely to be near it at some point on your New York Trip.

 

McBroom Cemetery

On our way to and from Cantwell Cliffs we passed this little cemetery that caught our eyes from the side of the road. J, being the amazing boyfriend that he is, insisted on stopping. It might have been more of him wanting to test out his new truck off-road than being a good boyfriend, but I digress. I only found one blog post about the cemetery and it was fascinating. In the early 1800s Nancy Cantwell's father, Josiah, was a land speculator. Robert McBroom (the cemetery namesake) and Nancy met and got married. They were given some land as a wedding present, and the land actually included the Cantwell Cliffs! In a nut shell, the McBrooms had a lot of land around the area and had several cemeteries, one of which I assume is the one in these photos. If you want to read a more in depth piece about the family history, go here and read Carrol's piece. I won't take the credit.

The cemetery was small but cute. We didn't spend much time there because there wasn't much to see. If you plan on visiting, there isn't a place to park, even off the road, because there's either a ditch or you're parking on the road and I don't recommend that. There's a slight grassy path, but I don't suggest taking it unless you have 4 wheel drive or it's completely dry. We got stuck, but luckily J's truck has 4 wheel drive and he got us out, but not without getting his truck all muddy.

Bethel Church Cemetery

When I got back from Europe, J and I went to Hocking Hills. Neither of us had ever been there and we fell in love with the hiking trails and, more importantly, our cabin. We had this adorable cabin with a private pond and jacuzzi. We vowed that we would come back in the winter, so we could still enjoy the hot tub and maybe some hiking. I didn't bring my camera the first time, but decided to bring it this trip. When we first got to Hocking Hills we decided to walk one of the trails before it got too dark. We chose the Rock House again because it's a short trail and it's one of our favorites. I don't have any pictures of it because it was too dark in the woods to take good photos, but it's basically a large rock shelter. As we headed back to our cabin we passed this old cemetery. I quickly took a screen shot of the location as best I could on Google maps because we didn't have any service, hoping we could both piece together the location the next day.

I didn't find much about this cemetery or the church when I did a Google search. The oldest known burial is for Rebecca Reid who died in August 1829; however, earlier records were lost or misplaced so it's unknown whether any graves older than Reid's exist. The church was built later in 1853, and still maintains the cemetery grounds. The first results I came across when I started the search claim the cemetery resides on top of an Indian burial ground, but further research into it I came the the conclusion that it's probably fake because the website seemed a bit shady and full of conspiracy theories. It is quite possible Indian burial grounds exist around here - I've been to one in Marietta  - but, in my opinion, the cemetery is not on top of one.

The cemetery was cute and quaint and definitely worth the stop. I'm glad J suggested, and was up for, driving there. It's not too far from the parks. Afterwards we hiked through Cantwell Cliffs, and I don't remember it being a long drive. That's not saying much, though, because if you read my posts from my European trip you'll know I have a terrible memory and can't remember a thing.

How to get there:
Bethel United Methodist Church
21004 Big Pine Rd
Laurelville, OH 43135