Super Saturdays in Atlanta: Oakland Cemetery

Who would've thought that hanging out at a cemetery would be a good way of whiling away your Saturday afternoon?  With warm weather came a burst of  wanderlust, and we were on to our next destination: Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta.

Final resting place of famous Gone with the Wind author, Margaret Mitchell, Oakland Cemetery was established in 1850  and is now considered as a public park.  It has several sections which somehow represent Atlanta's evolution and history:  Confederate Memorial Grounds, Slave Square, Jewish Section, African-American Grounds, among others.  Walking through the cemetery, we were struck by how beautiful and well-maintained the place is.  A far cry from our cemeteries in the Philippines where most mausolea were home to actual living people.  Noticeable, too, were its monuments:

Quite a number of mausolea and headstones were immaculate and well-preserved but quite a few made an impression on me:

Margaret Mitchell’s grave.  Though humble, it is one of the most visited graves in Oakland Cemetery.  I have long withheld reading Gone with the Wind for one reason or another.  But with Rose’s exuberance and exaltation of this literary masterpiece, I have since picked up a copy from the library.  I resolve to read a considerable part of it in preparation for our trip to Savannah next weekend.  It is a hefty book, I’m a little intimidated, but I am hoping that Margaret’s spirit inspires, not “push”, me to finish reading it. Right, Rose? Oh, and did you know that Margaret had the accident that eventually killed her right on Peachtree Street? She was on her way to a movie with her husband when she was struck by a car. So take extra care when crossing the street, boys and girls.

For better or worse, for richer or poorer, 'til death do us part."  Correct?  Okay ... But husband and wife even after death?  Come on ... LOL!  But kidding aside, it does seem like common practice to bury husbands and wives together.  I have a question though?  If either one had multiple spouses, what then?  You, philanderers, better get big plots to accommodate the party.

I don't think you can make out the epitaph on this headstone but it tells how the boy (lying in this plot) was killed by an accident not very far from where this headstone is.  This tugged at my mommy heartstrings.  I could imagine the parents' grief and heartbreak of losing an offspring so soon.  The parents have since died and are buried (again, together) alongside their son's grave.

This is my favorite mausoleum.  Notice the name above it?  I wonder if this is where their loyal employees and afficionados are lain to rest?

Overall, it was cool (albeit a little nerdy and quirky) to hangout at a cemetery on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.  We have plans to go back, perhaps join one of the walking tours or even hold a small celebration there.  So what if we are quirky?  And, yes, we have checked and you can hold a small party there; it is a public park after all.

Oh, and another cool thing:  an enterprising individual set up shop right across the entrance of the cemetery.  Guess what he called his shack?