Category Archives: Gravecast Recaps

Post Grave Hunt excursion reports.

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15 Tuesday Dec 2009

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About two weeks ago I went over to Mt. Olivet again. The goals for that day were to track down the grave sites of my great grandparents on my father’s side of the family. As well as track down the grave sites of some notables which included an actor in B movie westerns (Tom Tyler) who appeared in such western films as “The Adventures of the Tucson Kid” (1953),  “She Wore A Yellow Ribbon” (1949), among other B westerns.

Another person I found during my visit was James Barrett who was a major league baseball player. He played the game starting in 1899 and ending in the 1920s. He played with the Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, and Boston Americans. Playing a total of 10 seasons combined. And finally to close that days excursion I found William Cantlon who was a race car driver who was fatally injured  in the 1947 running of the Indianapolis 500.

Grave Hunting Treks

04 Wednesday Nov 2009

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Yesterday due to the weather being somewhat mild and nice I decided to go over to Evergreen cemetery on Woodward Ave a few blocks south of 8 Mile Rd right next door to Woodlawn Cemetery. I had a few goals for yesterdays mission one of which was to find the grave site of my great great grandfather Joseph Podgaiski I accomplished that mission within 15 minutes as it took a little while to find the grave site then to clear some of the overgrown grass from it.

While at Evergreen I also found the grave site of Charles Bowles who was a Mayor of Detroit during the 1920s era. The thing about Charles is that he was ousted as Mayor of Detroit due to his connections to local organized crime figures and other unsavory criminal type groups. He’s in the mausoleum building which a grounds keeper from the office was more than happy to unlock for me so I can take some photos. If you use the Bowles pic for your website/blog, etc. It would be much appreciated if you gave my self and/or this blog the credit to the pic.

Today being that I was in the mood to do some more cemetery exploration I went over to Mt. Olivet Cemetery on Van Dyke Ave and McNichols Rd in Detroit. My primary and only goal for today’s trek was to check out the grave sites of my great grand parents and great great grandmother who was Joseph’s wife. Here are the pics for your enjoyment. The photos mentioned in today’s blog post can be viewed below.

End of July Weekend Hunting a Go Go.

02 Sunday Aug 2009

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Yesterday I trekked on over to Holy Sepulcher Catholic cemetery on 10 mile a few blocks west of Telegraph in the stunning city of Southfield, Michigan. Being that I got the day started somewhat late I had to get there before the office closed at 4. And in this respect I didn’t have time to write out the usual note card biographies I use for the camcorder narration. Instead I just picked three grave sites to track down and that was it. I figured I’ll go back to Holy Sepulcher this week coming up to do some videography and more photos.

Anyway about yesterday’s trip. I found three grave sites they were  Owen P. Hammerberg who was a WWII Medal of Honor recipient who served in Hawaii when the Japanese went nuts, Steve Gromek & Barney McCosky who were both Major League baseball players. As I was walking back to my car from Owen’s grave site. An older gentleman came driving up in a minivan and we ended up getting into a discussion about Owen’s grave site and how he was the only Medal of Honor recipient in the cemetery then we talked about various other notables buried in the cemetery I mentioned a few mafia guys and what not and a few other ball players. Then we parted ways.

Today I went downtown to Elmwood cemetery for the millionth time this month I was there about four hours my day got cut short unfortunately when the batteries in my digital camera went dead. Before quitting for the day my dad surprised me at the cemetery for what ever reason I have no idea so I took him on a mini tour of the area in Elmwood I was in.

To summarize I had two splendid days at the cemetery. I really enjoy running into people and getting into discussions about various people buried in them.

Josh

Grave Hunting Ventures Over The Past Week.

20 Monday Apr 2009

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On Friday April 17th I took a trip downtown to visit Elmwood Cemetery which is located off of Jefferson Ave just a few short miles from the heart of downtown Detroit. I spent roughly six hours there. Arriving around 9am and leaving a little after 3pm. I had a very successful day there. That cemetery is one of my personal favorites not only because of the various historical people buried there but also because of the landscape with the rolling hills, the pond, and creek make it an ideal place for artists to create paintings, or drawings, joggers to do laps around the cemetery, among other things. Some of the people I found or re-found in some cases were Bernard Stroh who I took the liberty and shared a beer with, Hiram Walker who was the creator of Canadian Club Whiskey, Emma S. Berry who was the secretary-treasurer of the Confederacy under Confederate President Jefferson Davis, a whole list of Civil War Generals, a few Civil War Medal of Honor recipients, etc.

Earlier in the week before going to Elmwood cemetery I went over to Woodlawn cemetery as well. I tracked down the grave sites of several Motown musicians, civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, several business magnates who helped jump-start various industries in Michigan. Over all I think I had a more enjoyable time at Elmwood downtown. The history of that cemetery and the historical figures alone is the reason I enjoy going back.

In other news I’m in the process of editing and uploading the video footage I’ve shot to You Tube. I just got done with editing the Mt. Olivet Cemetery Detroit videos which I’ve uploaded to You Tube. Next I’ll be working on the Woodlawn Cemetery video series, and the Elmwood Cemetery video series. For those of you who are interested my You Tube page can be viewed by clicking here

Todays Grave Hunting Mission

01 Wednesday Apr 2009

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Today since it was so nice outside I decided to hit the cemeteries it was a spur of the moment decision. Anyway I went over to Resurrection cemetery again located over on Clinton River Rd in Clinton Township. At Resurrection I tracked down the grave site of Detroit mafia figure Vincent Meli who died in 2008 of natural causes I believe. After tracking down his grave site I then headed over to the other side of town to Holy Sepulcher cemetery on 10 Mile Rd between Telegraph and Inkster roads.

At Holy Sepulcher I was about to track down the grave sites of Anthony D’Anna who was a gangster here in Detroit during the 1920s he was affiliated with the Gianolla brothers who died in the 1980s. Also at Holy Sepulcher I tracked down the grave site of Jay Sebring also known as Thomas J. Kummer. He was a well-known Hollywood hair stylist to the stars, make-up artist, and he also had his own hair care products line. Anyway he was one of the Manson Family victims who was murdered in 1969 along with Sharon Tate, and several others in what was to be known as Helter Skelter.

In other news yesterday I ordered two books. I ordered “Resting Places: The Burial Sites of over 10,000 Famous Persons” by Scott Wilson this book is the most expensive book I’ve purchased not including college textbooks. The other book I purchased was “LA’s Graveside Companion” by my friend Steve Goldstein who knows his stuff about celebrity grave sites in Hollywood. The Wilson book I ordered from the publisher, and Goldstein’s book I ordered from Amazon.