Ghouls

[illusionofjoy]

missjoi and I went to Ceremony last night. I was moody and didn't feel like going out, but I went for her benefit. After five kamikazes, I wasn't so moody anymore. Joi and I still ended up leaving before the night let out, due to a congregation of meatheads in the bar (it sucks when the frat boys decide to go "sightseeing" and invade Goth Night). Still, it was a good night for the most part.

This afternoon Joi and went cemetery-spotting. One of the places we went to was Resurrection Cemetery, located outside of Robinson Township, near Pittsburgh International Airport. In fact, this cemetery is so close the airport that there is a row of landing beacon towers right outside the border of the plots and one can literally wave at passengers in planes as they touch down over the ridge. I found it both fascinating and disturbing; that latter, mostly because I have a staunch belief that a cemetery should never be located near turbulent areas such as airports and highways. This cemetery is located between both.

Being as such, many urban legends surround this place. There are too many to recount here, but "ghost stories" aside, the monuments in Resurrection are worth the trip alone. This place has some of the largest mausoleums I have ever seen. In fact, towards the eastern border of the cemetery, there is a huge complex of five mausoleums with a remembrance chapel in the centre. Behind this chapel is a grave marker, with a statue of Lazarus (looking very tortured as he emerges from his wrappings) in bronze, accompanied by the relating Biblical passage carved into the wall.

One of the most distinct markers in Resurrection, however, is "Damian's" marker. The stone is completely black, cut in such a way as to imply an inverted cross. Only one name is carved into the bottom of the stone, along with a quote, "This is not Goodbye, merely so long," signed by the deceased. The stone is very distinct, and some apparently did not appreciate it for it starkness, as there are various marks all over it surface of vandalism anew and scars from abuses past that the caretakers have tried to obscure. It is this stone that is a source of a few myths and urban legends, including claims that at night, one can see a hooded figure standing about it.

The other cemetery we went to was in Carnegie. As it was getting late we didn't stay long. The most notable thing I gleaned from the trip to this cemetery was how tightly packed together each plot was. I imagine that it won't be much longer until this place reaches capacity.

I really wish to revisit Damian's stone. The vibe I got from it wasn't evil, though I doubt visiting it at night would be a good idea. Most of the cemeteries in the area close at sundown and I could get ticketed from trespassing.

Comments

[xeyli.livejournal.com]

Take Masochistmonkey with you. I want to know what he says of this Damian's stone.

[illusion-of-joy.livejournal.com]

There was an article in last week's Pulp (one of the Pittsburgh newsweeklies) about this very marker and the urban legends surrounding it. As I suspected, most of the urban legends were all untrue anyhow. I suggest you read the article for yourself (http://www.pittsburghpulp.com/content/2003/10_30/news_cover_story.shtml). The section about Damian's marker begins under the heading "A local ghost story debunked."