Betsy Snow White Bibliophile

Tag: Green Lawn Cemetery

  • Cemetery Ghost Tour with GGG

    Cemetery Ghost Tour with GGG

    Several weeks ago Seth, Myself and the ladies from Ghosts, Girls, Ghouls Jenny and Rebecca jumped in my car and headed off to Greenlawn Cemetery in Columbus to attend the “Night at Greenlawn Cemetery” ghost tour hosted by Bucky of Columbus Ghost Tours. As we arrived we pulled into a queue that then drove slowly through the cemetery stopping on a small lane between grave stones. We left our cars and found ourselves in front of the Lazarus Crypt to begin our night. Bucky came dressed in a coat and tails to set the mood for our walking tour of the Cemetery.

    He shared stories of suicide, death by misfortune, murder, grave robbing and much more as we wandered among the headstones of the 360 acre Cemetery. Some famous names appeared in the tales such as James Thurber the famous humorist writer who detailed his own brush with the paranormal in his story “The Night the Ghost Got In.” I will not spoil any of the amazing stories, but instead say it is an amazing tour and Bucky wonderfully lays out tales of the mystical, maniacal and macabre with humor and the panache of a natural born storyteller. When he reveals he is working on a book regarding some of the topics he covers it makes absolute sense.

    The cemetery itself is a registered arboretum and home to many different kinds of wildlife. Dusk set in we could watch bats swoop overhead to eat the mosquitos that were swarming around us on the humid Ohio summer night. As we wandered the night got darker and darker until every small thing seemed sinister. At one point what I believe was a skunk (I did not investigate) gave me a minor scare as it moved through the black of the night. It is truly disconcerting to hear a stick break behind you in a dark cemetery.

    If you are in the Central Ohio area, or are planning a visit, you cannot go wrong with one of the tours led by Columbus Ghost Tours. They offer a variety of tours as well as this one, including a tour of haunted bars where you get to drink and hear ghost stories which is on my list of things to do as well. You can follow them on Instagram at @boozeboos for more information and details.

  • 8 Days of Blogging

    Seth and I went for a walk in Green Lawn Cemetery the other day because it was a sunny, cold day and the snow looked so pretty. We parked in an area of the Cemetery we hadn’t explored yet and we ended up parking right beside the Jewish section. I am a big old witch, and my husband is agnostic, so neither of us knows much about Judaism or the customs there in. I was delighted to see small stones and rocks sitting atop all of the headstones in this section and after a quick google we found out that they are visitation stones. When saying Kaddish or visiting a grave the stone is left to show that the person is remembered. I love this custom so much!! I am so happy to know this now.

    We also just happened upon the grave for Marvin Fishman aka. Flippo the King of Clowns, who had a morning children’s show that ran in Columbus beginning in 1953 and running through 1983. He passed away in 2006 after a career entertaining Columbus and surrounds. Apparently I learned through his obituary that he coined “Nerk” for my hometown of Newark. Small world.

    Jewish cemetery, burial and Mourning Customs. (2003). Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://www.jcam.org/Pages/Foundation/Education/articles/stones-left-on-monuments.php#:~:text=The%20Origins%20of%20Leaving%20A%20Visitation%20Stone&text=common%20Jewish%20cemetery%20customs%20is,of%20the%20act%20of%20remembrance.