Gravestones - most unusual

New Jersey gravestones come in many different shapes, sizes, colors, and materials. According to the writers of "Weird New Jersey," the Garden State is a hotspot for weird and unusual things, and the tombstones here are no exception.

The first unusual gravestone below is a memorial to Ray Tse, Jr., who died in 1981 at the age of 15. Ray fantasized as a teenager about getting his driver's license and buying an expensive car. After his untimely death, his wealthy older brother commissioned a 36-ton granite memorial sculpted to resemble a full-size Mercedez Benz 2400 diesel limousine. Vanity license plates on both front and back read "RAY TSE." Three stonecutters spent 1 ½ years carving it from a 66-ton block of granite at Rock of Ages in Barre, Vermont.(1)

The second gravestone below is a four-foot tall black marble stone carved into the shape of a light bulb. Engraved on the face is a hand grasping a fistful of lightning bolts. Around the image are the words "World's Greatest Electrician," in gold leaf letters.(2) The gravestone was created in memory of Sal Giardino, who worked as an electrician in New Jersey. On the gravestone, under the light bulb, is a photograph of Sal and a golden two-socket wall outlet. Also engraved on the stone is the number of Giardino's electrician's license.

Memorial to Ray Tse

Memorial to Ray Tse, 1981, Rosedale Cemetery, Linden.

Memorial to Sal Giardino, 1994, Totowa. Photograph © Bill Heneage (see first link below).

A few months after Sal Giardino's death, his daughter Kim died in a motorcycle accident. Sal's only living daughter, Laurie, created a monument for her deceased sister next to Sal's light bulb. The gravestone of Kim Giardino is a peace and love tribute to her. The monument is also black stone with real gold lettering and depicts a globe at the top with a peace sign superimposed over it. On the bottom of the tomb are the words "Peace" and "Love," along with a photograph of Kim.(3)

An unusual gravestone not illustrated here is the gravestone of Mary Ellis, located on a piece of property in New Brunswick, overlooking the Raritan River. Over the years, the land had been bought and sold several times, becoming a flea market, a mini-mall, a movie theatre, and then a parking lot. Mary's grave originally had a linked fence around it to preserve her final resting place. When the parking lot was resurfaced several years ago, her burial spot was raised above the parking lot itself, and now sits some four feet higher than the parking lot's surface.(4)

Another unusual gravestone is the shrine of "Singing" Sam Stevens. Located at Evergreen Cemetery in Hillside, the shrine is a multi-pillared black and gold monument adorned with musical motifs including a larger-than-life Gibson electric guitar, musical notes, and a giant record listing all of Sam's greatest hits. Under the record are the words "Singer, Song Writer, Peace Maker." Oddly, The problem is, no one has ever heard of Sam Stevens or any of the songs written on the record.(5)

The "Cave Grave," as it is known to many locals, is located on Route 621 in the Sussex County town of Newton. The gravestone can be found about fifty yards into the woods beyond a local cemetery's boundary, mounted upright against the sheer rock face of the hill. The gravestone bears the names James, Margaret, and J. Howard, along with the year 1908. According to local legend, Margaret (James and J. Howard's sister) traveled into the cave and got lost. Her two brothers went in to find her and got themselves lost as well. The gravestone now blocks the entrance to the cave. The Sussex County Historical Society has records indicating that three children are indeed interred at the site.(6)

The dollhouse grave, located in the cemetery of Trinity United Church in Warren, New Jersey, is another unusual gravestone. The story goes that after his daughter's death at the age of 12, a father created a dollhouse that served as her gravestone. The miniature dwelling had a red roof and chimney and was constructed from wood and glass. Inside, there was a child's tea set, a small table, a doll in a Victorian dress with a porcelain head, and a children's book entitled "Little Pillow."(7) The miniature house was attached to the gravestone from the time of the girl's death, 1882, until 1973, when someone stole the dollhouse. A few days after the robbery, pieces of the contents were discovered discarded in a field in nearby Martinsville. The members of Trinity United Church gathered up the fragments and moved the structure indoors, where it remains to this day in the attic of the church.

Other unusual gravestones in the Garden State include Princess Doe's gravestone, the Glowing Graves, the Pyramid Tomb, and the Little Willie and The Clown Tree gravestones. The book Weird New Jersey can be used as a travel guide to many of New Jersey's unusual legends and best-kept secrets.

(Robert Garguilo, Spring 2009)

(1) Flickr.com (see link below).

(2,3) WeirdNJ.com (see link below).

(4,5,6,7) Mark Sceurman and Mark Moran, Weird New Jersey (New York: Sterling Publishing, 2003).