'Tis the Season - But not for Rosa Bonheur Memorial Pet Cemetery
The setting is the holiday season 2005. A news
article airs on the local news station (WBAL in Ball-tee-more) about a local pet
cemetery. Being the owners of four Siberian Huskies, the news article catches
my wifes attention.
Seems that one of the local cemeteries is kinda famous. Not having grown up here - we had driven by it - but never knew the story behind it. We thought it was just another cemetery. Turns out to be one of the first pet cemeteries in the United States. Further - it is the first cemetery in the world where pet owners could be buried along with their pets.
According to the article it has fallen into ruin and many fear that it will be developed.
Having had some experience with the media in the past, we decide to go out and look for ourselves. It's not far from where we live. I would take my camera to do some test shoots with my new equipment - and we would just find out for ourselves.
A brief history:
The place? Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park for Pets in Elkridge, Howard County, Maryland. Home of one of the first pet cemeteries in the world - opened in 1935 and covering 13 plots of land measuring some 300 by 700 feet.
In 1935 it was founded by Daniel A. and Mary B Boyer.
In 1948 they sold it to Hayward and Grace Potee (Hayward died in 1977)
In 1978 Grace Potee sold it to Bonheur Memorial Park Inc. owned by William Green.
In 1983 Bonheur Memorial Park Inc became Acquest National Corporation of North America (William Green Director)
In 1992 Acquest deeded the land at no charge to the companies Director and sole stockholder William Green
In 1996 sixteen (16) pet owners brought criminal and civil charges against Mr. Green
In 1997 the Commercial and Farmers Bank files a complaint against William Green leading to the sale of the land to the Bonheur Land Company for $219,500 (it was valued at over $2 million).
Buried in the cemetery are:
-Famed horse Gypsy Queen - who rode across all 48 states and was the subject of a book published now being offered again on Amazon.
-Numerous NBA Mascots including NBA World Champion Bullets mascot "Tiny"
-Mary Ann - the first elephant at the Baltimore Zoo. Mary Ann was purchased by children who donated money to buy her.
- A lion
-The nations oldest dog (27 years of age at time of death)
- A USMC WWII War Dog who served (and reportedly died) at Guadalcanal. This would have made Rex one of only 29 Marine Corps dogs who died in the Pacific during WWII.
- A local Prince Georges County Police K-9
- Numerous champion animals
- About 30 humans including an Army Paratrooper who is buried with his dog.
This is what we found when we went there.
The entrance sign was falling apart
The fields were littered with trash
Trees had fallen and hadn't been cleared
Statues were disintegrating
And stones were so overgrown with sod and grass you literally had to dig to find them
There were, the occasional well maintained plots
We decided something had to be done. If not now, when? If not us, who?
So, we went off to the local hardware store and started buying.
We purchased flags, a battery operated weed-eater, a metal detector and a GPS. We packed up out lawn tools, new equipment, a lawn mower and headed back out. We started cleaning ourselves.
We started a website with a petition at gimpydogs.com and a photo journal of our efforts at gilsstills.com.
It wasn't too long before we had hundreds of signatures, a handful of volunteers coming out and the local news calling to interview us. The reel is slated to air in the early spring. That's when we thought our volunteers would start showing up. But, as an indication to their humanity - they started showing up almost immediately.
Head on over to gimpy dogs and sign the petition - head over to gils stills and take a look at the photos. Then, come on out to the cemetery if your in the area. It was once very beautiful - and it can be again. But not if we wait for the owners to clean it up.
If you happen to have any maps of the original plot layout - or pictures of the cemetery - please contact us. We would love to post the images and the maps would help us find the grave-sites.
Here are images of what we have done to date:
BEFORE:
DURING:
AFTER - well as much of an after shot as we can get since we have to mow, wait a week for the grass to dry, mow, wait a week, mow etc:
The work continues - check out the photo site - now with over 300 pictures of our work!
Thanks to the volunteers who showed up this weekend!
Gil
Seems that one of the local cemeteries is kinda famous. Not having grown up here - we had driven by it - but never knew the story behind it. We thought it was just another cemetery. Turns out to be one of the first pet cemeteries in the United States. Further - it is the first cemetery in the world where pet owners could be buried along with their pets.
According to the article it has fallen into ruin and many fear that it will be developed.
Having had some experience with the media in the past, we decide to go out and look for ourselves. It's not far from where we live. I would take my camera to do some test shoots with my new equipment - and we would just find out for ourselves.
A brief history:
The place? Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park for Pets in Elkridge, Howard County, Maryland. Home of one of the first pet cemeteries in the world - opened in 1935 and covering 13 plots of land measuring some 300 by 700 feet.
In 1935 it was founded by Daniel A. and Mary B Boyer.
In 1948 they sold it to Hayward and Grace Potee (Hayward died in 1977)
In 1978 Grace Potee sold it to Bonheur Memorial Park Inc. owned by William Green.
In 1983 Bonheur Memorial Park Inc became Acquest National Corporation of North America (William Green Director)
In 1992 Acquest deeded the land at no charge to the companies Director and sole stockholder William Green
In 1996 sixteen (16) pet owners brought criminal and civil charges against Mr. Green
In 1997 the Commercial and Farmers Bank files a complaint against William Green leading to the sale of the land to the Bonheur Land Company for $219,500 (it was valued at over $2 million).
Buried in the cemetery are:
-Famed horse Gypsy Queen - who rode across all 48 states and was the subject of a book published now being offered again on Amazon.
-Numerous NBA Mascots including NBA World Champion Bullets mascot "Tiny"
-Mary Ann - the first elephant at the Baltimore Zoo. Mary Ann was purchased by children who donated money to buy her.
- A lion
-The nations oldest dog (27 years of age at time of death)
- A USMC WWII War Dog who served (and reportedly died) at Guadalcanal. This would have made Rex one of only 29 Marine Corps dogs who died in the Pacific during WWII.
- A local Prince Georges County Police K-9
- Numerous champion animals
- About 30 humans including an Army Paratrooper who is buried with his dog.
This is what we found when we went there.
The entrance sign was falling apart
The fields were littered with trash
Trees had fallen and hadn't been cleared
Statues were disintegrating
And stones were so overgrown with sod and grass you literally had to dig to find them
There were, the occasional well maintained plots
We decided something had to be done. If not now, when? If not us, who?
So, we went off to the local hardware store and started buying.
We purchased flags, a battery operated weed-eater, a metal detector and a GPS. We packed up out lawn tools, new equipment, a lawn mower and headed back out. We started cleaning ourselves.
We started a website with a petition at gimpydogs.com and a photo journal of our efforts at gilsstills.com.
It wasn't too long before we had hundreds of signatures, a handful of volunteers coming out and the local news calling to interview us. The reel is slated to air in the early spring. That's when we thought our volunteers would start showing up. But, as an indication to their humanity - they started showing up almost immediately.
Head on over to gimpy dogs and sign the petition - head over to gils stills and take a look at the photos. Then, come on out to the cemetery if your in the area. It was once very beautiful - and it can be again. But not if we wait for the owners to clean it up.
If you happen to have any maps of the original plot layout - or pictures of the cemetery - please contact us. We would love to post the images and the maps would help us find the grave-sites.
Here are images of what we have done to date:
BEFORE:
DURING:
AFTER - well as much of an after shot as we can get since we have to mow, wait a week for the grass to dry, mow, wait a week, mow etc:
The work continues - check out the photo site - now with over 300 pictures of our work!
Thanks to the volunteers who showed up this weekend!
Gil
Posted: Tue - January 24, 2006 at 07:15 PM If this blog entry was of use to you, why not show your appreciation by donating to support the site? Just click on the MAKE A DONATION button on the right hand side of the page! It's all handled by PAYPAL.
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Published On: Aug 30, 2006 06:55 AM
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Published On: Aug 30, 2006 06:55 AM