Can you feel it in the air? That heady, electric surge of timeless energy that permeates the second half of October?
Halloween and Samhain are mere days away – a point that makes this autumn adoring witch immeasurably happy. 🎃
As a season that is inherently connected to themes of harvesting, change, endings, and death, it is no surprise that autumn – and in particular, October – is inextricably linked with cemeteries and graveyards.
Plenty of these are rendered in decoration form during the spooky season and they can be a wonderfully hair-raising thrill to experience.
However, the real deal was the original deal, so to speak, and it is this type of burial ground that we’ll be focusing on in today’s post.
Whether you are a fellow taphophile (if this term is new to you, be sure to check out my in-depth post, What Is Taphophilia? Exploring the Fascinating Subject of Grave Hunting) or simply someone who enjoys visiting cemeteries and graveyards, these hallowed spots are a nearly universal element of the human experience and one that provides no shortage of interest and inspiration to many.
So much so, in fact, that numerous folks over the years have opted to create whole websites and blogs devoted to subjects such as cemeteries, graveyards, headstones, funerals, burials (including the green burials), and death positivity.
Enmeshed as we currently are in the heart of All Hallows’ season, with that most liminal of days (Samhain/Halloween) rounding the bend again, I thought now would be an excellent time to share a selection of cemetery focused blogs with you.
These sites are chocked full of lovely photographs, fascinating history, passionate writing, and ample inspiration for taphophiles, history buffs, genealogists, and many others who enjoy visiting and/or learning about cemeteries and the souls who were laid to rest there.
It is my pleasure to bring you a list of 13 awesome cemetery focused blogs that every taphophile should be following.
As quite possibly the least pushy person or bossy person ever, please note that I use the word “should” very lightly here. Consider it a suggestion to do so if these kinds of blogs appeal to you, not an order by any means. 😃
13 wonderful cemetery blogs for taphophiles and graveyard fans everywhere
Adventures in Cemetery Hopping
Founded at the start of 2013 by Traci Rylands, Adventures in Cemetery Hopping houses a large number of posts devoted to – as you likely guessed from its name – cemeteries.
Traci’s photo-rich posts feature an array of different US cemeteries, often with a focus on one or more particular grave(s) at a specific burial ground (including, in some instances, those of celebrities).
If you’re an armchair cemetery traveller, settle in, clear your schedule for a few hours, and get lost in the informative and highly engaging burial grounds Traci treats her readers to every month.
A Grave Announcement
The introductory slogan of A Grave Announcement is “Unearthing the Lives of the Dead”. Much to the delight of cemetery and history enthusiasts everywhere, this blog lives up to that tagline in spades.
It is a deeply engaging site that takes an in-depth, well-researched look at the lives of various deceased individuals and the final resting places they now call home.
Billion Graves
The blog Billion Graves (which is the companion blog to the well-known and very popular website, BillionGrave.com) not only discusses burial grounds, but also takes a look at other areas pertaining to death, mourning, internment, and genealogy.
From Victorian Mourning Clothes (another favourite subject of mine) to Native American Burial Rites, this website does an excellent and respectful job of detailing the past and present history of death, mourning, and remembrance.
Canadian Cemetery History (blog)
As you will have no doubt deduced from the name of this blog, Canadian Cemetery History is a site devoted to documenting the history of various Canadian burial grounds (with an emphasis on those in Ontario).
As a born and raised Canadian who just happens to be a passionate taphophile, it’s safe to say that it was love at first sight for me when I hit upon this blog.
One need not be a fellow canuck to enjoy Canadian Cemetery History, however. Its content is thoroughly interesting, richly informative, and accompanied by no shortage of photos from each cemetery featured. If the subject of burial grounds in general interests you, this blog is apt to be right up your alley.
Cemetery Club
On the Cemetery Club’s about page, blog author Sheldon K. Goodman states that “Burial Grounds are like libraries – admittedly, libraries of the dead”. I adore – and very much agree with – this insightful comparison and feel it does a terrific job of capturing the spirit and care that goes into each insightful British history and photo-filled entry housed on Cemetry Club.
Cemetery Photography by Chantal Larochelle
You know that feeling when you hit upon a blog and instantly feel like, if you had the pleasure of meeting them, you’d likely be fast friends with the soul behind that site? In my case, I got that sense the moment I discovered the site Cemetery Photography by Chantal Larochelle.
A fellow Canadian with a keen interest in photographing cemeteries (something I adore doing as well, as you may have spotted both here and on my Instagram), Chantal skillfully captures the soulful beauty of cemeteries and the headstones they house.
Her lovely images are accompanied by blog posts that span a wide array of not only cemetery locations, but also topics pertaining to various death and burial ground-related matters (for example, cemetery etiquette).
Cemetery Travel
One of the best-known and longest-standing blogs in the wee world that is the burial ground blogosphere, Cemetery Travel is a taphophile’s dream site.
The creation of author Loren Rhoads (whose excellent books Wish You Were Here: Adventures in Cemetery Travel and 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die are must-reads for grave hunters and history buffs everywhere), this splendid site showcases and discusses dozens of different cemeteries around the world, each accompanied by photos and enjoyable insights on these locations.
Loren’s posts – just like her books – are engaging, informative, and always a great read.
Goth Gardening
For several years now, I have had the pleasure of engaging online via our respective blogs (starting my now long retired vintage fashion blog) with the sweet soul behind Goth Gardening. Her blog, while not exclusively related to cemetery topics, covers this subject extensively and she is a passionate fellow taphophile all the way!
I adore the thought and research that the Goth Gardener pours into her entries, just as I do the emphasis she places on highlighting the lives and ensuing deaths of females across the ages.
Presently, she is penning a book related to that important topic, which is provisionally titled Women Writers Buried in Virginia Cemeteries. I’m sure it will be a fantastic and highly informative read, just as her blog posts themselves are.
Graveyards of Scotland
To date, I have not had the pleasure of setting foot on Scottish soil. This country has, however, captured my heart and imagination for as far back and I can recall. Visiting its ancient soil is a travel dream I dearly hope can come to fruition one day.
In the meantime, I am clocking many an armchair traveller frequent flyer mile via the fantastic blog, Graveyards of Scotland.
On this engaging site, one is treated to a treasure trove of beautiful photographs detailing various parts of Scotland (many a gravesite included) and accompanying posts that are every bit as lovely. If you have even so much as a faint interest in Scotland, I cannot recommend this blog highly enough.
The Cemetery Traveller
Passion and research go hand-in-hand on The Cemetery Traveler blog, which is choc-a-block with posts devoted to various American cemeteries.
Run by Ed Synder, this site has been bringing the web and world at large high-quality cemetery content (some of which Ed has compiled in a self-published book, The Cemetery Traveler) for more than a decade now and is sure to appeal to taphophiles and history fans both inside and out of the States.
The Graveyard Detective
Another long-time leading light in the world of cemetery blogs, The Graveyard Detective honours the departed with compassionate explorations into the lives and final resting places of those interred at various British cemeteries. Readers with an interest in war history will appreciate the attention paid to victims of 20th-century battles, such as WWI.
The Jolly Taphophile
Being such a young province in terms of non-First Nations inhabitants, a fair number of British Columbia’s burial grounds are pioneer cemeteries, housing the remains of some of the province’s 19th and early 20th century residents.
As a result of having lived in BC for much of my life, I have a soft spot for pioneer cemeteries and adore the fact that Sharon, the Canadian blogger (and fellow death positive taphophile) behind The Jolly Taphophile, shares this interest.
Her site, which has been going strong since 2010, teems with visits to various older cemeteries and explorations into their history. Many of these entries star a video from her enjoyable YouTube channel, Amongst the Headstones.
The London Dead
In a city with some of the world’s most beautiful, historically rich, and well-known burial grounds, it’s no surprise that a fellow cemetery fan decided to start a blog devoted to London’s cemeteries. That is precisely what Mr. David Bingham has done with The London Dead.
This site explores the fascinating history of London’s cemeteries, crypts, and churchyards (with travel posts to additional destinations). If your heart beats extra fast for ornate, elegant yesteryear European cemeteries, this is the blog for you!
(Please, do note that some of the posts on The London Dead are NSFW and definitely not for young eyes either due to the adult content they contain.)
(The images above all hail from, and are the respective property of, the blogs that they are linked back to.)
Additional blogs and websites about cemeteries
Honourable mention, as it is not strictly a cemetery blog, goes to The Irish Aesthete.
This instantly captivating blog shines the spotlight on the history of Ireland in an articulate, accessible manner that will have you reading for hours.
Amongst the content shared, you’ll find a slew of wonderful posts pertaining to graveyards and cemeteries around Ireland (which, as someone who lived in the Emerland Isle during my very early 20s, I can attest are, unto themselves, well worth booking a flight to Ireland to see in person).
Likewise, you may adore the sites Grave Photography (which was last updated in 2016) and Taphophile Tragics (last updated in 2012), both of which were/are cemetery-focused blogs.
The fact that neither has been updated in a few years excluded them from the list above, which focuses on active blogs. However, as their content is the bee’s knees, I definitely wanted to mention them here all the same.
As well, on top of the sites listed above, various cemeteries – for example, the Lauren Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia and Forest Lawn Cemetery in New York state, respectively – maintain fascinating and informative blogs of their own.
You may want to look up cemeteries in your area, those you visit while travelling, or which you otherwise have a keen interest in to see if they currently have a blog you could follow.
In addition, as you might imagine, there are various blogs and websites that pertain to other and/or additional elements of taphophilia. For example, areas such as the funeral industry (e.g., Funeral One), exploring historical churches (e.g., My Church Adventures), death positivity (e.g., The Order of the Good Death), and the experience of death/grieving (e.g., The Amateur’s Guide to Death and Dying).
Such websites could easily make for a blog post all their own, so if that is something you are interested in seeing here, please do not hesitate to let me know in the comments below.
Passion with multiple purposes
For many who deeply appreciate cemeteries and other taphophilia-related topics, documenting and discussing burial grounds goes far beyond elements such as the beautiful aesthetics of burial grounds.
Each of us has a unique and highly personal relationship with the subject and complexities of death.
Birth and death are set in stone for every last one of us who has ever lived. Some people are completely at ease discussing, thinking about, and focusing on topics pertaining to dying and death, others are less comfortable (understandably) with these subjects. In turn, they may not be big fans of visiting cemeteries unless required to do so for funerals or to visit deceased loved ones.
There is no right or wrong way to have a relationship with death. It is, after all, the greatest unknown.
We have theories, scientific viewpoints, religious and spiritual interpretations, and ideas of what may lay on the other side of the veil. Ultimately though (no matter how sure you may be about your beliefs, experiences, and convictions), until we breathe our last, none of us can say with absolute certainty what lies beyond.
Graveyards and cemeteries invite us to explore the subject of our mortality, as well as that of those who have gone before us.
Burial grounds remind us of both the fragility and strength of life, of the cyclical nature of existence (as we are all, to paraphrase Carl Sagan, the stuff of stardust), of loss and grief, and of celebrating the miracle of life while we’re still fortunate to be here.
Most people with a deeply seated interest in subjects pertaining to cemeteries and death have a great reverence for the departed and the sacred spaces we as a species have chosen to place many of deceased in.
Cemetery-focused blogs (as well as social media accounts on the subject) provide insight, inspiration, and information alike to those who are drawn to the subject of death for whatever reason.
I respect each of the bloggers above and really appreciate the time, effort, and passion that they pour into their captivating websites.
Much as with visiting a physical cemetery itself, these blogs are able to evoke a multitude of thoughts and feelings in their viewers, document history in the process, and remind us in a supportive way that one day we too pass on into the great beyond.
Hopefully, of course, that won’t be happening anytime soon for most of us! And while we’re still getting our mortal groove on, we can appreciate, learn from, and be inspired by cemeteries and numerous wonderful blogs devoted to burial grounds around the world.
Do you follow cemetery related blogs? What was the last cemetery or graveyard that you visited in person? 🖤⚰️🖤
What a very interesting and intriguing post Autumn! Love your research into the different places along with photos and websites to visit as well! My mom is a genealogist and has done some cool tracings, but I’ve not been graveyard hopping. Thank you for your insights friend!
Thank you deeply, sweet Vicki. I am delighted to know that you enjoyed and were intrigued by this post. 💗
I wholeheartedly enjoyed researching + penning it, and feel all the more inspired now to put together my next edition of the “Cemetery Journeys” post series that I launched here earlier this year.
That is so cool regarding your mom being a genealogist. I’d venture to guess she has put together a detailed, wonderful tree for your family.
I have been a passionate amateur (as in, I’ve never done it professionally) genealogist for much of my life and could easily – and happily – spend most of my time researching family history. *Swoon!*
Thank you again, my dear friend. I hope that your October is going splendidly and that you have a cozy, fun-filled countdown to All Hallows’ Eve! 🎃
🖤 Autumn
Thanks so much for including Cemetery Travel and especially for your kind words!
It is my heartfelt pleasure, Loren. Many thanks in turn for your lovely comment, as well as for the endless inspiration and enjoyment your work brings to scores of folks (myself wholly included) around the world.
You are an awesome author, blogger, taphophile, and human being, point-blank.
Happiest wishes for a hair-raisingly marvellous Halloween season! 🎃
🖤 Autumn
Interesting and informative post Autumn!
Thank you so much, Donna. I sincerely appreciate your positive feedback and look forward to continuing to share further entries pertaining to taphophilia here – including future editions of the Cemetery Journeys post series that I launched earlier this year.
Big hugs & the happiest of Halloween countdown wishes coming your way! 🎃
🖤 Autumn
What an immensely enjoyable post, Autumn! I love a good old graveyard, especially one of the slightly spooky variety, and I have often marvelled about the beauty of some of those time-worn headstones. I’m definitively going to explore some of these recommended blogs! Thank you so much for sharing! xxx
Thank you deeply, my fellow graveyard adoring friend. It is my absolute pleasure and joy to share about these blogs. The passion that their creators pour into them is hugely inspiring – as is the content they share year after year.
Before this year itself is up, I hope to pen and publish the second installment in my recently launched Cemetery Journeys series and to continue on with it into 2022 and well beyond.
Given that there’s a finite amount of cemeteries in our area, I don’t want to rush through blogging about them too quickly. I’m thinking perhaps 2 – 4 such posts a year might be a good pace.
Thank you again, sweet Ann. I truly appreciate each and every wonderful comment that you brighten my blog with throughout the year. 🙏
🖤 Autumn
Oh some of these are absolutely works of art. How stunning! I just want to spend ours in some of these places..the headstones…my, my, how intricate and what a testament of love. It makes me re think some of my final wishes ( I want to be cremated ) but these headstones are just …wow. Anyway thanks for sharing!
Thank you deeply, sweet soul. They really are breathtakingly beautiful. A wide range of gravemarkers can be gorgeous, but I continually feel that we lost something as a society when we (essentially) stopped making headstones like those featured in this post and on the blogs that each of these respective images hails from.
I really appreciate you openly sharing your death plan wishes. Thank you very much for doing so here.
I am an ardent proponent of death positivity, which (ideally) includes making a plan for your remains and informing others in your life about it.
As it is illegal in Canada to undertake my #1 choice for my own mortal remains (that would be a sky burial), my next choice is to be laid to rest in the most environmentally friendly coffin possible. I would also be 100% okay with my body going to science (including if it went to a body farm).
Many thanks again, lovely Kmarie. Wishing you a relaxing, fun-filled second to last weekend of October.
🖤 Autumn
My husband and I visited many graveyards whilst carrying out family research,we found them peaceful places but were often saddened as family tragedies unfolded on headstones,thank you for this interesting posting
Thank you very much for your moving comment, Meg. How right you are regarding the heartbreaking records of devastating loss that headstones often speak of. On numerous occasions, I have seen gravemarkers with wording to the effect of “In loving memory of the children of Mr & Mrs —“.
Losing a single child is immeasurably tragic, to lose some or all of one’s children and to have to lay them to rest at the same time must take more strength than that of Atlas.
While devastating events do still, sadly, occur sometimes that can cause similar multi-individual losses to this day, mercifully, such is less common in some parts of the world in the 21st century.
I really appreciate your comment and would love to hear more about your family history research anytime. I have been a passionate (hobbyist) genealogist for much of my life and can happily chat about genealogy until the cows come home.
🖤 Autumn
What a fantastic post Autumn! It amazes me how gorgeous some of the tombstones are, a true work of art, love the winged scull. Visiting graveyards can be very interesting and sometimes sad, but I do enjoy reading the dates and looking at the beauty of the tombstones.
Take care, Tammy
Thank you so much, dear Tammy. I really appreciate your wonderfully positive feedback on this post.
I share your feelings and likewise enjoy looking for dates – the older, the more captivating they usually are for me. As far as I know, there are no headstones with dates prior to the 19th century in BC. I daydream about visiting one of the few cemeteries back east here in Canada or throughout other parts of the world where finding 18th and even, in some cases, 17th century gravemarkers is still possible.
Big hugs & the sweetest of Halloween week wishes coming your way,
🖤 Autumn
Cool, informative post. I didn’t know about these blogs. I enjoy visiting cemeteries and often photograph there.
P.S., Thanks for the superb card which arrived yesterday! Robin and I admire it and appreciate your effort in making it.
Hello my dear friend, you (and Robin) are immensely welcome for the festive Halloween greeting. I’m delighted that it reached you two in advance of the big day. I adore creating cards to zip your way, especially since I know you enjoy receiving them. That bolsters my creativity all the more.
Thank you very much for your terrific comment. It is my heartfelt pleasure to introduce these awesome blogs to you – especially since you’re a fellow fan of visiting and photographing burial grounds.
All things willing, I’m hoping to get the second edition in the “Cemetery Journeys” series that I launched here earlier this year up either in late 2021 or early 2022. With the aim beyond that to (hopefully!) publish 2 – 4 posts on various cemeteries that I’m able to visit in person beyond that each year. So hopefully I can keep sharing lots more engaging cemetery/taphophilia related content here which you’ll enjoy as well.
Heartfelt thanks again for everything. May you and Robin have a cozy, beautiful, and very happy November.
🖤 Autumn
Although I don’t have a keen interest in cemeteries, I have visited graves of my ancestors and taken photos to share in my family scrapbook. It’s always interesting to find out about those who came before us and document their journey in tracing ancestry! This post has some great photos that bring moments of pause, especially those young lives who were gone too soon!
Hi Carol, thank you very much for your lovely comment. I really appreciate you sharing with me/us the way in which you involve cemeteries via your memory keeping. For those who are fortunate to have access to the final resting place(s) of their loved ones, recording headstones (etc) in scrapbook form is a truly incredible way to further preserve the memory of those who have gone before us.
I’m touched to know that even though cemeteries aren’t your absolute favourite thing in the universe, you still enjoyed this post and hope that you’ll continue to find elements to future entries I share here pertaining to this subject.
Many thanks again, sweet lady. May you have a wonderful and very happy November.
🖤 Autumn
On only a few rare occasions have I visited a graveyard for reasons other than attending a funeral. I love the idea of a cemetery being a “library for the dead”- how true.
And thank you for included a resource for cemetery etiquette. I found it quite helpful and loved the quote from Chief Seattle.
A lovely post, Autumn!
Debi
You are exceedingly kind and heart-touchingly supportive, dearest Debi. Thank you very much for your awesome feedback on this post – including sharing that you enjoyed the link to that post about cemetery etiquette. It really resonated with me as well.
I’m hoping to get the next edition in the “Cemetery Journeys” post series that I launched earlier this year up in either late 2021 or early 2022. At the very end of September, I took several hundred photos at a cemetery less than an hour away from us and am gradually whittling that large group down to the ones that will be used in my post about that burial ground. Once I’ve done so and completed my research for the post, I’ll begin putting it together and am really excited for the second entry in this periodically occurring series to appear here.
If there are ever any cemetery, funeral, or other taphophila related topics that you’d be keen to see me write about, please do not hesitate to let me know. Suggestions are welcome and sincerely appreciated.
Warm hugs & the sweetest of wishes for a fantastic November coming your way.
🖤 Autumn
Very interesting blog recommendations. I think visiting cemeteries can be very educating and interesting experience.
Thank you very much, dear Ivana. I couldn’t agree more. There is so much to be learned and experienced when visiting many (if not most) of the world’s cemeteries.
We were fortunate to visit a few (some for the first time) this fall. I took photos every step of the way and am truly looking forward to turning the images from those meaningful burial ground visits into future editions of my “Cemetery Journeys” blog post series that was launched earlier this year.
A huge thank you as well for each and every one of your recent comments here. They are wholeheartedly appreciated. ❤️
🖤 Autumn
Thank you for this. The last cemetery that I visited was the Richmond Cemetery in Richmond, Kentucky about a month ago. I have started a new blog about my own cemetery adventures.
Hi Kim, thank you very much for your lovely comment and for letting me know that you’ve launched a blog pertaining to your own exciting cemetery adventures.
That’s awesome! Us taphophiles who blog about our adventures are fairly few and far between, so it really is a joy to know that as we navigate 2022 and beyond, there is a new one in our midst to enjoy and support.
May this year bring you an abundance of wellness, joy, and opportunities to visit cemeteries.
🖤 Autumn
Thanks for sharing the blogs. They certainly are sources of great information.