Victorians Used to Hang Out at Cemeteries in the 1900's And Have Picnics There For Fun

What might be odd or quirky for you now was totally their 'normal'.

Alexandra

• Published in Weird
• August 1, 2018

What does your ideal day of fun consist of? If you're anything like the rest of the world, it probably consists of good food, a trip somewhere totally cool, and in the company of your closest pals. Well, in the 1900's, your every day Victorian also enjoyed taking trips to somewhere they considered to be "totally cool", but we aren't sure anyone reading this might feel the same. 

Most people think of graveyards as a haunting place where we lay the departed to eternal rest. But people in the early 1900's? Oh no! They considered cemeteries to be a place where they could engage in leisurely activities such as picnics or horse races. What the heck?

What Better Place to Hang Out Than the Local Cemetery?

Alright, so you're still probably wondering why the heck anyone would want to go hang out in a place where dead bodies are literally buried underneath the ground you're walking on. Well, the answer is simply that there was nowhere else to go! 

Prior to the 1830's, Americans tended to bury their loved ones in a church graveyard or even on their own personal property. Ya know, to keep them close by, I guess! These church graveyards were often found on small pieces of land located right next to the church and often fill up quickly. The epidemics of the time only caused the number of dead bodies to increase and these church cemeteries filled up more than they could fit. As the graveyards continued to grow with infected victims, people began to seriously fear that these "graveyards" were breeding grounds for the diseases themselves. 

Because of this, it was necessary to change the set-up of cemeteries to better suit the growing number of deaths and the need for space. So in 1931, the Mount Auburn Cemetery was built in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is considered to be the first "modern cemetery". 

And so Began the Idea of the Modern Cemetery

Coincidentally, Mount Auburn is also considered to be one of America's first parks that was open to the public. Dr. Jacob Bigelow, who was a professor at Harvard, built the cemetery because he noticed that the overcrowding of burial grounds was becoming a large problem. He had the idea that Mt. Auburn would serve as more than just a place to bury the dead but also a place where people could escape their hectic lives and become one with nature. Because of this, Mt. Auburn actually became a very popular destination to visit, complete with mapped routes and famed gravesites. 

Mt. Auburn led to the eventual "rural cemeteries movement" which involved other cities following suit and creating cemeteries that also served as public parks. Laurel Hill Cemetery and Green-Wood Cemetery were another two highly famed cemeteries of the sort during this time period. 

There's Something Haunting yet Beautiful About these Cemeteries

Due to the lack of parks that were easily accessible to the public, these cemeteries became popular destinations for individuals to rewind and relax, much like public parks are today. 

Woodland Cemetery in Ohio Crowded With People on Memorial Day

A writer for the Conservative once complained that the famed cemetery picnics were becoming so frequent that there was an increase in littering and damages to the various properties. Although they were frequently used to hang out in, they still served their purpose as a place to pay respects to deceased loved ones. An 1885 issue of Grand Rapids Morning Telegram reported a story in which a carriage driver brought an entire family to the cemetery on Thanksgiving Day to enjoy the holiday with their late father. One of the family members noted, "We are going to keep Thanksgivin’ with our father as [though he] was live and hearty this day last year,” He went on, “We’ve brought somethin’ to eat and a spirit-lamp to boil coffee.”

What a Beautiful, Yet Haunting Image

As the 20th century rolled in, public parks started to pop up separate from that of cemeteries. As a result of this, cemetery picnic parties seemed to fall by the wayside. In fact, many cemeteries today ban picnics altogether. 

Alexandra