Aside from its beauty, what made the Lakeview Cemetery a potential visit during my trip to the New Jersey Horror Con was some of its impressive residents. Lakeview boasts a Rockefeller, the man who coined the term ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll,’ the leader of “The Untouchables,” and even a President of the United States. It also harbors lush, well-tended grounds, priceless works of art, and even volunteer docents. It was so impressive, I would make two visits in as many days.

The first was shortly after leaving the nearby Cleveland Natural History Museum (discussed in my last post). I mainly pulled into the grounds seeking the Memorial of the 20th President of the United States, but since I’d done little to no research, I had no idea what it even looked like. President James A. Garfield had been in office for just under 120 days before being shot twice by Charles J. Guiteau, a mentally unstable man who was angry for not being granted a Cabinet position. The shots themselves were not initially fatal, and in today’s world, Garfield would likely have survived. In 1881, however, shady procedures and infections were much more common, and he would succumb to his wounds about two and a half months later.

I drove around aimlessly before spotting a large structure with lots of activity. There were several people going in and out, and there were even parking spaces and porta-potties. Surely, this must be the place! After leaving my vehicle, I headed up the stone stairs to the entrance.

I was greeted by two volunteers who asked if I wanted a guided tour of the inside. It turns out I wasn’t at Garfield’s Memorial, but at the Wade Memorial Chapel. This structure is currently used for funerals and, up until COVID, was even used for wedding services. Can you imagine getting married at a cemetery? Actually, I’m sure a lot of folks in my friend circles probably have. In any event, I agreed to the tour, and we entered through huge (and HEAVY) iron doors. The inside was stunning to say the least. This isn’t an art blog, so I won’t go into any depth here, but if you are interested, I do encourage you to look this place up if you don’t live close enough to get a physical tour.

The first thing you notice when you walk in is a beautiful stained-glass image of Jesus titled “The Flight of Souls.” This piece was created by Louis Comfort Tiffany and won a gold medal in Paris before finding its permanent home here in Cleveland. After telling her where I was from, the docent kept mentioning that Chicago has one of the largest collections of this artist’s work, but I had to admit, embarrassingly, that I’d never seen any of them. I do appreciate art, but I’m no connoisseur and was always bored on field trips to the Art Institute of Chicago as a child. Maybe as a middle-aged man, I should give it another try. I definitely admired what I was seeing in this place.

On either wall was a mosaic designed by Frederick Wilson. Each is 32’ x 8’ and designed to complement the stained glass. The West wall is referred to as “The River of Death” (Old Testament imagery), and the East wall shows “The River of Life” (New Testament imagery). The learned docent explained in detail the religious significance of each person and the items they were holding in the mosaic, and, again, I urge all interested parties to look into it. I love history, and this experience was a real treat.

I’d later photograph the back of the Wade Memorial, which sat next to a beautiful pool with plastic swans. While these seemed at odds with the otherwise pristine surroundings, I’m pretty sure they were decoys used to deter Canada geese, which hate swans and avoid them whenever possible.

Before leaving, they gave me a map of the grounds, which had section numbers and a yellow-highlighted line indicating the main road to follow when looking for specific plots and sculptures. I was able to follow this path to the Garfield Memorial, and this structure was even more impressive than the Wade Memorial. Here, they not only offered parking but also picnic benches for guests to relax and enjoy the ambiance.

Once again, volunteers were present and offered to give guided tours. I should mention that while these tours are technically “Free,” you are encouraged to make a donation or purchase a book/poster (I ended up getting a small book on Garfield’s Memorial). The upper floor of this multi-level structure housed a huge statue of President Garfield, while his body rests next to the First Lady on the lower level. This is one of the few Presidential tombs where you can still see the casket and the fourth Presidential grave I’ve seen. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy are the other three. It occurred to me as I was writing this that three of these are of the four U.S. presidents who were assassinated. I should probably make plans to return to Ohio and visit the Memorial of President William McKinley (the fourth slain president), which I hear is also magnificent. 

Since I hadn’t checked into my hotel at this point, I only had my phone to snap photos. I decided to return the next morning with my unpacked Canon SLR. The cemetery opened at 7:30 AM, and I arrived around 8. I had a time ticket for 10 AM at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum and time to take a few pictures. The night before, I did a little research, and, coupled with the map, it would make this visit more intentional. It was another gorgeous day in Cleveland, and I enjoyed capturing photos of the cemetery along with some of its feathered and furry occupants.

The first stop I wanted to make on Day Two was to the Haserot Angel sculpture. This sculpture was created by Herman Matzen in 1923/1924 and commissioned by industrialist Francis Henry Haserot, after the death of his wife. Referred to as “The Angel of Death Victorious,” it has black “tears” resulting from decades of oxidation, giving it an ominous “weeping” appearance. The statue is holding a torch upside down, indicative of a life that has been snuffed out. I know I mentioned this wasn’t a creepy cemetery, but this statue was a glaring exception. Those dark stains running down its face sure didn’t help. Regardless, it was a stunning sculpture.

Renowned law enforcement agent Eliot Ness also has a gravestone here – though his body isn’t buried beneath it. I live in the Mobster Al Capone’s old stomping grounds in Suburban Chicago, and Ness and his “untouchables” are credited with taking him down. Ness wrote the famed book “The Untouchables,” but, sadly, died before its release, never seeing its tremendous success. He would pass away in obscurity at the age of 54 and $8,000 (about $95,000 in today’s money) in debt. Ness was cremated, and his ashes were sprinkled in the pond behind this marker. 

Though Rock music was not created in a specific city nor by any single artist, the term “Rock and Roll” does trace its roots to Cleveland, where popular DJ Alan Freed is credited with this phrase. If you listen to the 1977 hit “Cleveland Rocks” by British musician Ian Hunter, you can hear a sound bite of Freed from his time on Cleveland airwaves. Unfortunately, his career didn’t last long, ending in scandal after he was accused of accepting bribes from record companies in exchange for playing specific songs. He would die at age 43 and, like Ness, broke. Here, he’s memorialized with a large, beautiful headstone designed like an old ‘50s jukebox.

This is a great time to mention how amazing the people who work for this cemetery are. I pulled up to Freed’s gravestone to snap photos, and there was a team of about seven Building and Grounds workers landscaping and tending to Freed’s plot. I asked if they minded my taking pictures of the site, and they not only granted permission but insisted on moving equipment and tools so I could get a clearer shot. Then they suggested I get out of my car so I could photograph the more ornate side of the stone. We talked for several minutes, and they couldn’t have been nicer. In fact, my biggest regret of this vacation was that I did not ask if I could take a group shot of them for this blog. The friend I was meeting in Jersey, Jason Schoolcraft, works in the Buildings and Grounds department at a Rhode Island Zoo, and these folks are unsung heroes to the institutions they serve. The magnificence of this cemetery is proof of it.

During my visits, I noticed lots of people walking their dogs and picnicking with their families. I’ve never seen a livelier cemetery in my life and, if I lived in Cleveland, I’d probably be here all the time, myself. Despite multiple trips, I still missed a couple of notable graves, including those of John D. Rockefeller and comic writer Harvey Pekar. The time flew by, and before I knew it, my alarm alerted me that it was time to head into the city. Tipping my hat to Mr. Freed, it was literally time to Rock and Roll.

~Dave

Next up…The Final Jam-Packed Final Day in Cleveland!