Here’s a video from a great series called “Five Minute Histories” from Baltimore Heritage. This one is about the Oakleigh Pet Cemetery in Parkville, Maryland (Baltimore County). They talk about the history of pet cemeteries and briefly mention Aspin Hill Pet Cemetery. I hope you enjoy this video and also explore the other videos in the series.
Faithful Unto Death: new book on pet cemeteries
In May 2023, I had the pleasure to meet Paul Koudounaris, an author and photographer with a Ph.D. in Art History. He’s the author of the recent book, Faithful Unto Death: Pet cemeteries, animal graves, and eternal devotion. For years, he’s researched cemeteries and death traditions. He is also a cat lover, having published a book, A Cat’s Tale: A Journey Through Feline History, in which his cat, Baba, gives a history of the world from a feline perspective.
In his latest book, he turns his attention to pets, pet owners, and the kind of devotion that motivates the existence of pet cemeteries. Koudounaris visited the Aspin Hill Memorial Park, and commentary and photos from the cemetery are included in this beautifully written and illustrated book. There’s a review of his book on the BBC website, which gets to the heart of his work better than I could. Here’s a link to the article.
Shep the dog to a WW2 pigeon: Eight strange and poignant images of pet cemeteries BBC.com, September 22, 2024.
The Mysterious Woman Buried Alone at the Pet Cemetery
The New York Times published a story on January 7, 2024 about a woman whose cremated remains were buried at the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in New York. She died without family and all her executor and lawyer knew was that her instructions upon her death were to be buried at the pet cemetery. But no one seemed to know why. Continue reading The Mysterious Woman Buried Alone at the Pet Cemetery
The Rainbow Bridge
“The Rainbow Bridge” is a sentimental reflection on the loss of a pet and the hope of reunification after death. For decades, it has circulated without attribution among animal lovers. In this blog post, uncovers the identity of the person who wrote “The Rainbow Bridge.” Grab a hanky and read:
The story was also picked up by National Geographic. (The article requires a free online membership to read)
The ‘Rainbow Bridge’ has comforted millions of pet parents. Who wrote it?
Kudos to for his tenacity and research skills in revealing the true origin of The Rainbow Bridge.
You Never Forget a Good Dog
Blackie was a cocker spaniel mix who belonged to Mel Kornspan’s family when he was a child living in Washington, D.C. Blackie lived a dozen good years as a member of the family before passing away in 1956. Mel’s mother, Rebecca, arranged for her to be buried at Aspin Hill. Mel never forgot Blackie and keeps a tiny photo of her in a red frame to remember her by. Continue reading You Never Forget a Good Dog
Pet Cemetery News – Summer 2021
It’s been an unusual summer for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that the pandemic, and the problems it causes is not over yet. However, I have three pieces of news related to the cemetery that may interest my readers. Continue reading Pet Cemetery News – Summer 2021
Pheasant Farming in Glenmont
When I grew up in Glenmont in the 1960s, I knew this house as “the Denley mansion.” It sat on a patch of land on the west side of Georgia at Denley Road, just north of Randolph Road. Its most prominent feature was a second-story arched window. By 1966, it was no longer occupied, and I began to hear talk that it was going to be torn down for a subway that would go all the way to Washington, D. C. I remember thinking at the time, “that’s crazy talk.” If you’d told me that there had been a pheasant farm on that same property, I’d have been even more surprised. Continue reading Pheasant Farming in Glenmont
Cicadas at the pet cemetery
Here in Montgomery County, Maryland, we are being invaded by millions of periodical cicadas (from Brood X). Nowhere is safe, even Aspin Hill Memorial Park.
Continue reading Cicadas at the pet cemetery
Staff and Fritzie: World War I Dog Heroes
The first known war dog buried at Aspin Hill Pet Cemetery was “Staff,” who fought with an unnamed American unit in World War I. He was wounded by German artillery, but French surgeons stitched him back together again. Two bullets remained embedded in his leg. His mate, “Fritzie,” also fought in the war. Staff died in 1925; Fritzie died six years later in 1931.1
Pet Cemetery at the National Arboretum
![Dog cemetery. ca. 1916-1917. National Photo Company Collection. Library of Congress Call Number: LC-F82- 1694 [P&P]](https://petcemeterystories.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/19170000NatPhotoCoColl-32610u.jpg)
In an earlier post about Dr. Buckingham, I mentioned looking for this pet cemetery in 2020, without success. On February 23, 2021, I searched again, accompanied by an architectural historian and an archaeologist who had additional information about where the cemetery might be. This time, we had better luck. I found the site of the pet cemetery, but alas there is nothing left but two old gate posts.
Dr. Buckingham picked a lovely spot for his pet cemetery. It’s on the side of a hill overlooking (in the distance) Kingman Lake and the northern section of Kingman Island. Farther out, you can see the Anacostia River.
Perhaps there are still dogs and cats buried there, but there were no visible grave markers. Any further investigation of the site would probably require the approval of the Federal government, something I’m not inclined to pursue. It’s probably better to let it return to nature. Still, I’m glad I got to see it, and its beautiful vantage point.