Admission to Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland is free.
- Open: November 1 – March 31 from 7:30am – 5:30pm; April 1 – October 31 from 7:30am – 7:30pm
- Location: (Map It) 12316 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland, Ohio
- Phone: 216-421-2665
- Web: click here
Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio is more than your ordinary cemetery. It is considered by many to be a walk through history, a vast outdoor art museum, or a horticultural paradise. In any case, it is one of the finest garden cemeteries in the country as well as one of the most historic. It has 285 acres of land and is located in University Circle. It is modeled after the great garden cemeteries of Victorian England and France. It also has a picturesque dam measuring 500 feet wide and 60 feet above the ground. And among its numerous points of interest and appeal, visitors will be awed by the memorials of its more famous permanent residents such as:
- President Garfield’s Tomb
- Wade Memorial Chapel, one of the few buildings left in the world that the interior was designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and his studio. Both the Garfield Monument and Wade Chapel are open daily, April 1 – Nov. 19th, 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
- John D. Rockefeller’s Monument (For younger folks, imagine someone wealthier than Bill Gates and Microsoft)
- Eliot Ness – the lawman that brought infamous mobster Al Capone to justice
- James Salisbury – creator of the Salisbury Steak
- Ray Chapman – The only player in major league baseball history to be killed during a game by a pitched ball (Cleveland Indian) – see “The Eternal Boy of Summer” excerpt below
- Charles Pinkney – a minor league baseball player killed by a pitched ball
- Carl Stokes – the first black mayor of a major city (Cleveland)
- Garrett Morgan – Inventor of the gas mask and first tri-color traffic light
- Coburn Haskell – inventor of the modern golf ball
- Collinwood School Fire Memorial – a memorial to the 172 children and two teachers who died in the biggest school accident in U.S. history (occurring on Ash Wednesday in 1908
- And many other nationally and internationally known business and industrial tycoons, philanthropists, political powers, people of the arts and entertainment world as well as ordinary people of a wide variety of races, ethnic and financial backgrounds.
Excerpt from a past edition of www.ohiotraveler.com
The Eternal Boy of Summer
Ray Chapman, “Chappie,” was a fan favorite and beloved by his teammates. He played shortstop for the Cleveland Indians from 1912 – 1920. In 1917, he set a record for most sacrifice hits, 67, in a season. He was a decent hitter with a career batting average of .278. He set a team record for stolen bases in a single season, 52, that stood until 1980. In 1918, he led the American League with runs scored and walks. He was an excellent bunter and if the Gold Glove were awarded then, he’d probably have a few of those too.
Back in the early 1900s, pitchers ruled the diamond. They could do things to the ball that today’s pitchers could only fantasize. They scuffed it, spit tobacco juice on it, smeared dirt all around it, and eventually turned the white leather into a dark mass. New York Yankee submarine pitcher Carl Mays mucked the ball up with the best of them.
And on August 16, 1920, Chappie stepped into the batter’s box to face Mays. Due to the lack of lighting and the invisible ball, many believe Chapman never even saw what killed him. It struck him in the head; batting helmets weren’t required until 30 some years later.
Although many say Chapman may have been inducted into the Hall of Fame had his career not been cut short, he will forever be remembered as the only modern-era professional baseball player to die as a direct result of being hit by a pitched ball.
His death later led to changes in rules governing “doctoring” the baseball.
For the rest of the 1920 season, the Cleveland ball club wore black armbands to honor their fallen teammate. Together, they achieved winning their first World Series that year.
Ray Chapman is buried in Lake View Cemetery, known as Cleveland’s outdoor museum and arboretum. More than 100,000 others spanning all walks of life join him, including President James A. Garfield, Eliot Ness, and John D. Rockefeller. Lake View Cemetery is also considered a beautiful botanical garden.
If you want to pay homage to a fallen hero of America’s greatest pastime, put a flower on Raymond Johnson Chapman’s grave this season and whisper “play ball.”
By Frank R. Satullo, The OhioTraveler
