Week 21 – #15. Graveyard

December 19, 2014 by tnwaltz 15 Comments

Established in 1880 and located in the historic St. Elmo neighborhood nestled at the foot of Lookout Mountain, Forest Hills Cemetery is the resting place of many important people and a landmark of great beauty and history to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Each year in October, it has a program wherein the gravesites of a select number of Chattanooga’s forefathers are included in a cemetery stroll. During the stroll, a person belonging to the Forest Hills Historical Society is dressed in period attire, seated at a gravesite and tells the history of the person and his/her importance to Chattanooga. The narrator either portrays the deceased, his/her spouse or descendant. The stroll is not only interesting and gives an insight into the person’s personal and business life but is held on a day during the fall season when the tree leaves are beginning to change colors. This was my first time to take the stroll, but it will not be my last.

Forest Hills is where I have chosen to be interred, not because I think I am important but because my ancestors are interred there and if a cemetery can be beautiful, this one certainly is. It is a sanctuary of magnificent botanical beauty. Vibrant spruce trees, wildflowers, dogwoods, azaleas, and fruit trees flourish there. Cuttings from the rare species in the graveyard are used for transplanting in other parts of the country. In the spring, many people enjoy an afternoon drive through the cemetery to see its astounding flora. Forest Hills is a place of beauty, history, and great importance to the community.