619 Items Tagged

Graves

Lee Vining, California

Grave of the Unknown Prospector

A new monument to an old grave that was uncovered during the rebuilding of a California ghost town.

Bournemouth, England

Mary Shelley's Grave

The author of Frankenstein is buried here, along with her parents and the heart of her husband, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Brownsville, Texas

Brownsville City Cemetery

Wander among the gravestones in this historic border town.

Lawrenceburg, Tennessee

James David Vaughn Grave

The final resting place of the man who started Southern Gospel Music.

Cupar, Scotland

Covenanter's Grave

Beneath this headstone lie the severed body parts of three individuals who were caught up in a bloody period of Scottish history.

If the bones aren’t taken care of correctly, the spirit could put a curse on the family.

Meet the Man Who Digs Up Graves to Lift Curses

Families hire a bone collector in Taiwan to fix problematic tombs—and sometimes deal with ghosts.

Clarissa Wei October 5, 2023

Podcast: Grave Bells

We learn about a peculiar belief that was once widespread: the hope to be saved by a bell.

The Podcast Team October 5, 2023

The small interior of a chapel with a small mosaic floor arched roof and two coffins.

Carrick-On-Shannon, Ireland

Costello Memorial Chapel

The smallest chapel in Europe is a moving testament to the love between a husband and wife.

Italian tombstone carver Luigi Brusa knew he was dying from silicosis when he had a friend carve his impressive granite tombstone, known as "The Dying Man."

The Tombstone Sculptor Who Carved His Own Death in Granite

Nestled in Vermont’s Hope Cemetery, ‘The Dying Man’ tells the tragic tale of the area’s Italian gravestone carvers.

Alice Levitt October 3, 2023

Étienne-Gaspard Robertson's Tomb

A phantasmagoric tomb honors a Belgian artist-scientist's contributions to the world of spooky entertainment.

Some 5,000 Ohlone Tribe members were buried in unmarked graves in San Francisco's Mission Dolores Cemetery. Today, many of those graves have been paved over and forgotten.

Honoring the Thousands of Forgotten Souls Buried Beneath San Francisco

Experts estimate some 50,000 people are buried beneath the sprawling metropolis.

Shoshi Parks September 28, 2023

Brooklyn, New York

Grave of Governor DeWitt Clinton

The Father of the Erie Canal has a magnificent grave marker that redefines the term "final resting place."

Podcast: Rites of Passage

Time to go back to school to appreciate some unusual campus traditions with the Altas Obscura Places Team.

The Podcast Team September 8, 2023

A <em>bouquiniste</em>, or traditional seller of vintage and antique books, on the bank of the Seine in Paris in August 2023.

Wonder Is Everywhere: The Island of Cows, a Parisian Bookseller Revolt, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.

April White September 1, 2023

Malden, Massachusetts

Grave of Father Patrick J. Power

Since 1929, millions have sought miraculous healing and solace from this unknown yet deeply revered Irish priest.

Delft, Netherlands

Vermeer's Grave

The grave of the famous painter is marked by a simple stone in the ground.

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Grave of Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt

A German shoemaker-turned-folk-hero whose impersonation of a Prussian military officer earned international notoriety.

Godstone, England

Grave of the Godstone Pirate

A pirate is laid to rest at St. Nicholas Church.