Brewer Burial Ground. Farmingdale, NJ. Paul Goldfinger photo. 2014.
By Paul Goldfinger, Photography Editor @Blogfinger.net
Jean Bredin just sent us a piece about a cemetery in New York State. So here is a local cemetery that interested me in 2014.
Photographers are sometimes drawn to cemeteries because they can be dramatic and lovely. But I rarely see a cemetery photo in an art gallery—I guess they don’t sell well. In my case, I almost never photograph in a cemetery because it’s depressing.
About the only time I get interested is if there is beauty and/or historical context, such as with this 18th century cemetery in Farmingdale. There is something mysterious and brooding about this place. I actually enjoyed walking around there trying to read the nearly obliterated inscriptions.
Brewer Burial Ground. James Johnson is there with his wife Rachel. He is 1764-1831. Paul Goldfinger photo. 2/14/25.
Paul Goldfinger photo.
This Brewer Burial Ground in Farmingdale, with its lonely setting, sitting forlornly by the side of a country road, seems wonderfully haunting. 7 historic veterans are buried there.
It is the final resting place of 1 veteran from the Revolutionary War, 1 from the War of 1812, and 5 from the Civil War.
The oldest grave there is of Pvt John E. Brewer, Revolutionary War veteran: b.1754 d. 1837.
Another veteran is Pvt. James M. Lippincott, 1841-1916, Co A, 14th NJ Volunteer Infantry.
I have visited cemeteries in Boston and New Brunswick which go back to the Revolutionary War, and they are absolutely fascinating if not beautiful.
Another gorgeous place is the Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah where Johnny Mercer resides. You can take a ghost tour in Savannah. I have photos. (Remember the book/movie Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil—-set in Savannah?)
And we have posted a piece about the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond which goes back to the Civil War.
This Farmingdale cemetery would be great for HBO’s True Blood.
You can almost see the vampires coming out of the ground during the night to fly into Ocean Grove and seek some juicy jugular veins.
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT from his album Want One
There’s a story behind every grave. I wonder who they were and how they lived their life. A very serene resting place.
Pere Lachaise is a beautiful and historic cemetery in Paris. It has been functioning since 1804 and now it has a waiting list. We visited it when our sons were of an age that they were interested in seeing where Jim Morrison (“The Doors”) is buried.
Teens still hang out at Jim’s place on permanent vigil. They drink and smoke. One of our sons surreptitiously took a quick swig from a bottle offered by a hippy. We were aghast (not a ghost) and, somehow, he survived.
Reblogged this on Blogfinger and commented:
Beauty in death? What do you think about cemetery art. —PG
If you are ever in Atlanta, be sure to visit Oakland Cemetery. Margaret Mitchell is buried there as are former mayors of Atlanta. It is a great example of a garden cemetery. In fact, families used to go out to the cemetery and have a picnic on the graves of their loved ones. There are beautiful architectural examples there, too.