11 Graves Found in the Most Unusual Locations

While many are laid to rest beneath the lush greenery of a cemetery, others find their eternal homes in far more peculiar settings. Whether due to personal preference, punishment, or fate’s peculiar hand, some are buried in places as diverse as the ocean floor or the summit of a skyscraper. In some cases, the surrounding landscape evolves over time, transforming burial sites into roads, parks, or even a parking lot, as was the case with Richard III. Below are 11 instances of graves situated in extraordinary locations.

1. Underneath a Road

Thomas “Mountain Tom” Clark, a notorious figure who deserted both the Union and Confederate armies, wreaked deadly chaos in North Alabama as the head of the Clifton Shebang gang. Captured in 1872, he never faced trial for his crimes. Instead, a mob seized him and his gang members from jail, lynching them from a tree.

The legend now claims that rather than being laid to rest in the cemetery, he was buried under a road adjacent to it. A historical marker in Florence, Alabama, explains the reasoning: It was to contradict the outlaw’s bold statement that “no one would ever run over Tom Clark."

2. On the Peak of a Ski Slope

At Hunter Mountain in New York’s Catskills, skiers and snowboarders encounter an unusual sight for a winter destination: a gravestone. Positioned at the summit of a ski lift is a granite memorial for Archer Winsten, who passed away in 1997. His epitaph proclaims, “He lived for skiing at Hunter Mountain.” True to his passion, Winsten—the longtime film critic for the New York Post—chose to remain close to his beloved slopes even in death. His ashes were spread across this mountaintop near his favorite trails.

3. Inside the Smithsonian Institution

It’s not uncommon for renowned individuals to be commemorated within museums dedicated to them. Frida Kahlo’s ashes reside in Mexico City’s Casa Azul, while Salvador Dalí’s remains are housed in a crypt at the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, Spain. At the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., visitors are often taken aback to find the crypt of James Smithson near the tourist information and concessions in the Smithsonian Castle. Interestingly, the institution’s founding benefactor never visited the United States. It was Alexander Graham Bell who orchestrated the exhumation of Smithson’s remains from Genoa, transporting them to D.C. along with the marble sarcophagus from his Italian tomb.

4. Within an Artificial Reef

Off the coast of Key Biscayne, Florida, lies an underwater sculpture garden featuring lions, starfish, seashells, and other forms crafted from cremated remains blended with cement. This unique burial site, called the Neptune Memorial Reef, was established in 2007. Eventually spanning 16 acres, it serves as a sanctuary for both the deceased and marine life. Open to the public, the site is accessible to anyone equipped with scuba gear.

5. Inside a Sports Stadium

Scattering ashes in sports stadiums has long been a cherished, though often secretive, tradition. Many mourned the demolition of the old Yankee Stadium in 2008, as it also served as a memorial site for their loved ones. Madrid’s Vicente Calderón Stadium provided Atlético Madrid enthusiasts with a columbarium, allowing their ashes to remain close to their favorite soccer team. When the stadium was demolished in 2019, the remains of these devoted fans were meticulously relocated to the Wanda Metropolitano stadium to ensure they could still “attend” every match.

6. Within a Public Park

Before becoming a bustling hub with dog parks, benches, and a central fountain, New York City’s Washington Square Park served as a burial ground. From 1797 to 1825, thousands were laid to rest in the potter’s field here, including victims of yellow fever outbreaks and members of nearby congregations. Not all remains were moved when the area was converted into a public park. During park renovations in early 2021, some of these remains were discovered and reburied in a planting bed, now marked by a simple paving stone to signify the gravesite.

7. On a Road Median

A traffic median in Franklin, Indiana, is the final resting place of Nancy Kerlin Barnett, who passed away in 1831. At the time, the location was a grassy hill, but when plans for a road threatened her burial site in 1905, her family adamantly refused to relocate her grave. According to legend, her grandson even deterred construction workers with a shotgun, resulting in the road being built around her grave.

Recent efforts to level the grave to reduce driving risks uncovered the remains of seven additional individuals. Despite the road construction, the cemetery remained intact.

8. On an Airport Runway

Embedded in the runway of Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Georgia are the grave markers of Richard and Catherine Dotson. The Dotsons, who passed away in the 19th century, were originally buried in their family cemetery. By the 1940s, the land was repurposed for military use, transforming the once-peaceful burial ground into a training site for the Army Air Corps. Their descendants insisted that the graves stay untouched, so the markers were incorporated into the runway.

9. Inside a State Capitol

The crowning achievement of Philadelphia architect William F. Strickland also became his final resting place. In 1845, he traveled to Tennessee to design the new state capitol. As construction progressed slowly—largely carried out by enslaved individuals and convicts—he fell ill. His impending death prompted the legislature to allocate funds in its 1854 budget for his burial. He passed away that April and was laid to rest in the north portico of the capitol, which was finished five years later.

10. Inside a Skyscraper

While most burials occur underground, the deceased at the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica in Santos, Brazil, reside high above. Established in 1983, this 32-story structure has grown over time and is now celebrated as the world’s tallest cemetery, offering a solution for urban burial space. It even features a chapel, restaurant, lagoon, and peacock garden.

11. Within a Business Park

The Eastman Business Park in Rochester, New York, is a vast industrial hub that has driven manufacturing since the 1890s. Its founder, George Eastman of Eastman Kodak fame, remains a part of it. His grave, marked by a marble monument, lies on the premises. Although his family has a plot in Waterville, New York, Eastman’s niece proposed that he be buried near the company he cherished above all else.