Cemeteries in Parking Lots
December 2nd, 2008
While I was researching the “Cemetery Safari” chapter for my upcoming book Weird Oklahoma, I came across an unusual burial site west of Tulsa that was entirely enclosed within a strip-mall parking lot. Once sacred ground, it’s now a conspicuous patch of grass in a sea of asphalt, a quirky spectacle to the shoppers forced to drive around it on their way to Radio Shack.
The handful of graves had become an absurd sight gag that punctuated the often indiscriminate momentum of American progress. And it got me thinking: were there others like it? Surely this wasn’t the only time the deceased had stubbornly spoiled the aesthetics of a well-drafted parking lot. I mean, the good spots had already started going to the handicapped; it was only a matter of time before the dead horned in on the action, too.
And you know what? I was right. In fact, I found even more than I expected …
Entry Filed under: Goofy, Interesting
2 Comments Add your own
1. jonathan | December 2nd, 2008 at 9:42 am
I worked at the drug store directly across from that cemetery pictured in your post. Growing up in Sand Springs, it wasn’t strange at all that there was an Indian cemetery in town, but I remember people always walking in to our store asking about it; and thinking…”maybe it is weird to have a cemetery in a parking lot…”
Funny coincidence, huh?
2. Sweet Yet Sassy | December 2nd, 2008 at 3:17 pm
OMG! I saw your blog title and thought “Man, we have one of those here in my town!” Except…..that picture is my town! Yes, we do have to go around the cemetery to get to Radio Shack or Atwoods. Wow….who knew you could find a picture of it online.
I see above though that Jonathan commented on it too. I forgot you were friends with him. Small world.
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed