MonuMint

“Show me your cemeteries, and I will tell you what kind of people you have.” Benjamin Franklin

Across the country, cemeteries stand quietly in our communities—often overlooked, yet deeply significant. They are more than resting places. They are living records of our shared heritage, a sacred archive of names, stories, and the silent echo of generations. At MonuMint, we believe cemeteries are vital to preserving cultural identity, fostering intergenerational connection, and honoring the dignity of those who came before us.

Time and weather take their toll. Headstones crack and fade. Names become unreadable. Flowers wither, and what was once a place of beauty and reverence can become forgotten and neglected. But the impact of restoration is transformative. With gentle hands and respectful care, a cleaned headstone can emerge like a rediscovered artifact—a reminder that someone once lived, was loved, and left a legacy. Restoration breathes life into loss. It reminds families that memory matters and that every life deserves to be seen.

MonuMint exists to renew these places of remembrance. We provide ethical, non-invasive restoration of headstones and monuments, enhancing both their beauty and their historical integrity. We offer landscaping, floral renewal, QR-coded tributes, and volunteer programs designed to educate and empower communities to care for their own local cemeteries. Whether for a loved one or a lost ancestor, our work reconnects families to their roots—and to each other.

We believe a connected community is a resilient community. In a time when digital interactions often replace real-world connection, cemeteries remain one of the last physical spaces where memory, meaning, and local history converge. When we care for these spaces together, we build something more than polished stone—we build empathy, stewardship, and civic pride. MonuMint’s QR Memorials extend this vision beyond the grave: loved ones across generations and geographies can access a digital tribute with a simple scan, enriching their connection to those who came before.

Cemeteries remind us of the permanence of belonging. They are democratic places—where every life is equal in memory. They hold veterans and visionaries, parents and children, the known and the forgotten. By restoring them, we not only preserve the past—we create an active, shared experience in the present. We turn silence into story. Decay into dignity. Absence into acknowledgment.

This is what makes MonuMint different. We don’t just clean stone—we restore identity, celebrate legacy, and beautify spaces that matter. Through every project, we invite families, communities, and volunteers to participate in the sacred act of remembrance. Because when we preserve cemeteries, we preserve who we are.

Let us help you renew what matters most.

Fun Facts About Cemeteries

Cemeteries in New England and New York

Maine

• How many: The Maine Old Cemetery Association has data on 7,100+ burial sites (and the count keeps growing).  

• Largest / notable: Evergreen Cemetery (Portland), about 239 acres, widely cited as Maine’s largest.

•  In one town (York), there are over 300 private family cemeteries alone.

New Hampshire

• How many: The NH Old Graveyard Association maintains a database of 4,400 cemeteries, graveyards, and individual burial sites.  

• Largest / notable: Pine Grove Cemetery (Manchester)—about 275 acres (175 developed + 100 undeveloped).  

Vermont

• How many: The VT Secretary of State notes 2,000+ cemeteries and burial grounds (a common statewide figure); a third‑party GIS list shows 1,510 named cemeteries (not exhaustive).  

• Largest / notable: Hope Cemetery (Barre)—iconic “outdoor granite sculpture museum,” 65 acres and 10,000+ memorials.  

Massachusetts

• How many: No single official statewide count; a compiled dataset lists 1,301 named cemeteries (incomplete but helpful for scale).  

• Largest / notable: Forest Hills Cemetery (Boston)—275 acres; Mount Auburn (Cambridge)—the nation’s first garden cemetery, 175 acres and a major arboretum.  

Rhode Island

• How many: The state’s preservation office reports at least 2,833 documented historic cemeteries (other summaries say “3,000+”).  

• Largest / notable: Swan Point Cemetery (Providence)—200 acres; North Burial Ground—110 acres and among the region’s largest municipal cemeteries. Also home to God’s Little Acre in Newport, the largest intact Colonial‑era African burial ground in the U.S.  

Connecticut

• How many: A CT legislative research report (1994) lists 910 active cemeteries; a town‑by‑town compiled list shows 902 (illustrative, not official).  

• Largest / notable: Cedar Hill Cemetery (Hartford)—270 acres of memorial grounds and historic architecture.  

New York

• How many: The NY Division of Cemeteries regulates 1,700 nonprofit cemeteries; the NY State Association of Cemeteries says there are 1,900+ nonprofits plus 4,000+ religious/municipal cemeteries—well over 5,900 statewide.  

• Largest / notable: Calvary Cemetery (Queens)—3 million interments, the most burials of any U.S. cemetery; Green‑Wood (Brooklyn)—478 acres, a National Historic Landmark with 600k+ burials.  

• Extra: NYC’s Hart Island is the city’s potter’s field, with large‑scale burials dating to 1869.  

10 Amazing & Weird Cemetery Facts

1. Oldest in America

• The Myles Standish Burial Ground in Duxbury, MA (est. 1638) is considered the oldest maintained cemetery in the U.S.

1. Biggest in the U.S. by Burials

• Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York holds over 3 million burials — more than the population of Chicago!

1. Largest by Size

• Arlington National Cemetery covers 639 acres and has space for ~400,000 graves — and still expanding.

1. Most Haunted

• St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 (New Orleans, LA) is often called the most haunted in America, tied to the infamous Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau.

1. Unusual Residents

• At Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, you can watch outdoor movies projected among the graves of stars.

1. Unique Gravestones

• Vermont’s Hope Cemetery is filled with hand-carved granite sculptures, from race cars to soccer balls, designed by Barre’s stone cutters.

1. Hidden Cemeteries

• In New England, especially Maine and New Hampshire, family cemeteries on private land often number in the hundreds per town — sometimes marked only by a few stones in the woods.

1. Famous Pets

• New York’s Hartsdale Pet Cemetery (est. 1896) is the oldest in the U.S. and has over 70,000 animal burials, including dogs of Titanic survivors.

Where are the Mayflower passengers now at rest?

1. Burial Hill, Plymouth, MA

• The most famous site — many early Pilgrims, including Governor William Bradford (1590–1657), are buried here.

• The original fort and early burials (1620–1630s) were here.

• Some burials are unmarked due to early secrecy to hide deaths from Native tribes and lack of carved stones.

2. Coles Hill, Plymouth, MA

• A mass grave for many of the first winter’s dead (1620–1621) — nearly half the Mayflower passengers died that winter.

• Bones were uncovered centuries later and are now kept in a Sarcophagus Memorial at Coles Hill overlooking Plymouth Rock.

3. Myles Standish Burial Ground, Duxbury, MA

• Considered the oldest maintained cemetery in the U.S. (1638).

• Final resting place of Myles Standish and other Pilgrim leaders who later settled Duxbury.

4. Other Massachusetts Cemeteries

·       As the colony grew, Mayflower descendants and some survivors were buried in nearby towns:

o   John Howland – Burial Hill, Plymouth.

o   William Brewster – Burial Hill, Plymouth.

o   Edward Winslow – actually buried at sea in 1655 while returning from the Caribbean.

5. England & Elsewhere

·       A few passengers returned to England or died abroad.

o   Christopher Martin – buried in England before the colony was firmly established.

o   Elizabeth Tilley Howland lived long in Plymouth and is buried with her husband John Howland.

Quick Facts

• Of the 102 original Mayflower passengers, 45 died the first winter (1620–1621) and most are in Coles Hill.

• Later leaders and survivors are largely in Burial Hill (Plymouth) and Myles Standish Burial Ground (Duxbury).

• Very few original marked gravestones exist; most identifications are historical, not physical.

10 Most Visited Gravesites in America

1. Elvis Presley – Graceland, Memphis, TN

• The Meditation Garden at Graceland sees over 600,000 visitors annually, making it the most visited private grave in the U.S.

1. John F. Kennedy – Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA

• The Eternal Flame draws millions of visitors each year, one of the most iconic presidential memorials.

1. Marilyn Monroe – Westwood Village Memorial Park, Los Angeles, CA

• Her crypt is famously surrounded by notes, flowers, and lipstick marks left by fans.

1. Michael Jackson - Forest Lawn, Glendale, CA

• One of the most visited modern sites.

1. Martin Luther King Jr. – The King Center, Atlanta, GA

• Resting alongside Coretta Scott King, his tomb is part of a civil rights memorial visited by millions.

1. Bruce Lee – Lake View Cemetery, Seattle, WA

• Martial arts and film icon’s grave, a global pilgrimage site.

1. Franklin D. Roosevelt – Hyde Park, NY

• His home, library, and burial site attract thousands of history buffs annually.

1. Johnny Cash – Hendersonville Memory Gardens, TN

• Fans travel from around the world to pay respects to “The Man in Black.”

1. Abraham Lincoln – Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, IL

• Lincoln’s Tomb is a major national site, where visitors rub the nose of his bronze bust for luck.

1. Benjamin Franklin – Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA

• One of the earliest founding fathers’ graves, often covered in pennies tossed for good luck.

Sports Legends & Their Final Resting Places

1. Babe Ruth (Baseball)

• Cemetery: Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne, NY

• Grave often decorated with baseballs, bats, and Yankee memorabilia.

1. Muhammad Ali (Boxing)

• Cemetery: Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, KY

• His grave is a major attraction at this historic Victorian cemetery.

1. Kobe Bryant (Basketball)

• Cemetery: Pacific View Memorial Park, Corona del Mar, CA

• Private location but still attracts many fans who visit nearby.

1. Hank Aaron (Baseball)

• Cemetery: South-View Cemetery, Atlanta, GA

• Historic African-American cemetery where many civil rights leaders are also buried.

1. Jackie Robinson (Baseball)

• Cemetery: Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY

• First Black MLB player; his grave often has baseballs and flowers.

1. Wilt Chamberlain (Basketball)

• Cemetery: Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, CA

• Towering presence in both life and death.

1. Lou Gehrig (Baseball)

• Cemetery: Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne, NY (same as Babe Ruth).

1. Roberto Clemente (Baseball)

• Cemetery: Cementerio Municipal de Carolina, Puerto Rico

• A national hero in Puerto Rico, his grave is visited by fans year-round.

1. Payne Stewart (Golf)

• Cemetery: Rolling Oaks Memorial Center, Coppell, TX

• Known for his iconic knickers and sudden tragic death.

1. Red Grange (Football, “The Galloping Ghost”)

• Cemetery: Lakeview Cemetery, Lakeview, IL

• One of football’s earliest icons, resting in a historic Illinois ground.

1. Willie Mays (Baseball, “Say Hey Kid”)

•  Passed away in 2024. His burial location has not been made public yet — family requested privacy.

1. Ted Williams (Baseball)

•  Not buried — after his 2002 death, his body was cryonically preserved at Alcor Life Extension, Scottsdale, AZ. (One of the most unusual “resting places” in sports history.)

1. Cy Young (Baseball)

• Cemetery: Peoli Cemetery, Peoli, OH

• Small rural cemetery near where he grew up; grave marked with a bronze plaque honoring his pitching legacy.

1. Honus Wagner (Baseball)

• Cemetery: Calvary Cemetery, Pittsburgh, PA

• Overlooks the city where he became a Pirates legend.

1. Bill Russell (Basketball)

•  Died 2022; family has kept burial details private.

1. Jim Thorpe (Football, Baseball, Track & Field)

• Cemetery/Memorial: Jim Thorpe, PA

• After dispute, his remains were placed in the Pennsylvania town renamed “Jim Thorpe” in his honor.

1. Bobby Hull (Hockey, “The Golden Jet”)

• Cemetery: Colleyville Cemetery, Colleyville, TX (near Dallas)

 Interesting facts:

• Ted Williams’ cryonics case remains controversial even inside his family.

• Jim Thorpe is the only sports legend with a town named after him as his resting place.

• Cy Young’s grave is modest compared to his legendary status — a stark contrast to Ruth and Gehrig at Gate of Heaven.

10 Weirdest Cemeteries in the USA

1. Key West Cemetery (Florida)

• Quirky epitaphs (“I Told You I Was Sick”). Known for humor and personality in death.

1. Hollywood Forever (Los Angeles, CA)

• Hosts outdoor movies, concerts, and festivals among celebrity graves.

1. Neptune Memorial Reef (Key Biscayne, FL)

• An underwater cemetery where cremated remains help form a coral reef.

1. Howard Street Cemetery (Salem, MA)

• Associated with the Salem Witch Trials — Giles Corey was pressed to death here.

1. Resurrection Cemetery (Justice, IL)

• Legendary site of “Resurrection Mary,” America’s most famous hitchhiking ghost.

1. Forest Lawn Memorial Parks (California)

• Known for strict rules: all markers are flat, creating a golf-course look.

1. Stull Cemetery (Kansas)

• Rumored to be one of the “Seven Portals to Hell” in American folklore.

1. Boothill Graveyard (Tombstone, AZ)

• Wild West cemetery with colorful epitaphs like “Here lies Lester Moore, four slugs from a .44.”

1. Old Western Burial Ground (Baltimore, MD)

• Edgar Allan Poe’s grave; visitors often leave cognac and roses. Said to be haunted.

1. Glendale Cemetery (Akron, OH)

• Famous for its Egyptian Revival mausoleum, looking more like an ancient temple than a cemetery.

10 Largest Cemeteries in the USA (by burials)

1. Calvary Cemetery (Queens, New York)

• Over 3 million burials.

• Established 1848. Primarily Catholic.

• Known as “the city of the dead” within NYC.

1. Rose Hills Memorial Park (Whittier, California)

• Largest cemetery in North America by land size (~1,400 acres).

• Over 1.5 million interments.

1. Arlington National Cemetery (Arlington, Virginia)

• About 400,000 burials, but one of the most visited and symbolic cemeteries.

• Includes presidents, Supreme Court justices, astronauts, and soldiers.

1. St. Raymond’s Cemetery (Bronx, New York)

• Over 600,000 burials.

• One of the largest Catholic cemeteries in the Northeast.

1. Cypress Lawn Memorial Park (Colma, California)

• Colma is famously “the city of souls,” with 1.5 million burials across multiple cemeteries, though Cypress Lawn itself holds hundreds of thousands.

1. Mount Olivet Cemetery (Queens, New York)

• More than 400,000 interments.

  1. Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale, California)

• Over 250,000 interments but world-famous for celebrity burials (Walt Disney, Elizabeth Taylor, etc.).

1. Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)

• 300,000+ burials.

• A National Historic Landmark, with monuments to many Gilded Age families.

1. Holy Cross Cemetery (Brooklyn, New York)

• About 600,000 burials.

1. Graceland Cemetery (Chicago, Illinois)

• Tens of thousands interred, including many of Chicago’s historic elite.

• While smaller than Calvary or Rose Hills, it’s one of the largest in the Midwest and historically significant.

10 Highest-Grossing Movies Featuring Cemeteries/Graves

1. The Lion King (1994 & 2019 remake)

• Worldwide gross: $1.6B (2019)

• Famous graveyard scene: Elephant Graveyard where Simba, Nala, and Scar meet.

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

• Worldwide gross: $897M

• Iconic graveyard sequence: Voldemort’s resurrection at Tom Riddle’s grave.

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

• Worldwide gross: $977M

• Key scene in Godric’s Hollow graveyard (Harry and Hermione at his parents’ graves).

1. Avengers: Endgame (2019)

• Worldwide gross: $2.79B (#2 all time)

• While not a graveyard film, much of the story revolves around death, mourning, and memorialization.

1. Black Panther (2018)

• Worldwide gross: $1.34B

• Ancestral Plane scenes take place in a spiritual cemetery-like realm of the dead.

1. Coco (2017)

• Worldwide gross: $814M

• Entirely themed around Día de los Muertos, cemeteries, and honoring ancestors.

1. Frozen II (2019)

• Worldwide gross: $1.45B

• Features themes of ancestry, spirits, and memorial-like imagery tied to Elsa and Anna’s parents.

1. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

• Worldwide gross: $873M

• Cemetery scene: Bruce Wayne’s recurring nightmares at his parents’ graves.

1. It (2017)

• Worldwide gross: $701M (highest-grossing horror film ever).

• Multiple key scenes set in Derry’s cemetery and sewers tied to death and burial themes.

1. The Sixth Sense (1999)

• Worldwide gross: $672M

• Cemetery-like imagery throughout; focuses on ghosts, the dead, and unresolved burials.

More Interesting Facts:

• There are an estimated 144,000+ cemeteries in the United States (including public, private, church, military, and family burial grounds).

• The U.S. population since colonial times is around 330 million people alive today plus an estimated 500–600 million people who have died in the country since European settlement.

• Not all were buried in formal cemeteries (many early burials were private, on farms, or unmarked), but the vast majority in the last 150+ years have been interred in cemeteries.

 Estimate:

• Between 200–300 million people are buried in U.S. cemeteries today.

The rest include cremations (now over 60% of new dispositions), lost graves, or non-traditional burials.