♥ Cave Hill Cemetery ♥

As I was driving around town today, I realized I was close to Cave Hill Cemetery, so I decided to stop in for a bit. Cave Hill is a HUGE historic cemetery. It is beautiful...rolling hills, stone quarries, a 55 foot deep cave (apparently once used as some sort of prison waaaaaaay back in the day...), a spring-fed lake with ducks and geese, huge, shady trees. There are statuesque stone monuments and huge marble mausoleums.

The first time I visited Cave Hill was in the middle of Fall when all the leaves were changing. Talk about gorgeous! The colors weren't quite as vivid this time, but I have a feeling the trees won't be too colorful this year anyway due to the heat and lack of rain this summer. Anyway, many local photographers use Cave Hill as a location for some of their photo shoots because it is so peaceful and beautiful. Of course, like many cemeteries, Cave Hill is said to be haunted, but I didn't see any ghosts during my visit. I did, however get lost! The roads are so curvy and hilly that its easy to get turned around! I did eventually find my way out. (Thank goodness! I did not want to spend the night in there!)

Cave Hill was once farmland owned by the Johnson family. The city of Louisville purchased the land with the intentions of building a railroad through the middle of it, but they were thwarted by the stone quarries. In the meantime, a brick house on the property became known as the Pest House, and was used to quarantine people who were contagiously ill. The need for a burial place nearby became apparent, and as such, Cave Hill Cemetery was founded in 1848. In the prosperous Victorian era, the cemetery expanded and became home to many impressive monuments. It is the final resting place of such people as George Rogers Clark and Harland Sanders (The KFC Coronel), as well as hundreds of unknown Civil War soldiers.