Rekindling an old tradition
Backyard burials were a common practice during the colonial era. Farmers usually buried their dead on their own land. This was an era where the basics and self-sufficiency were daily practice, and caring for one’s own dead and the burial in their own land were necessities.
Backyard Burial Benefits
Backyard burials offer an array of fringe benefits. One can visit their companions whenever they wish, they can landscape around the grave as desired and they can choose any grave marker desired. Backyard Burials serve as a perfect opportunity to teach children about death. Additionally, backyard burials are usually more often visited, frequently maintained and lovingly tended.
Famous Backyard Burials
One of the most famously celebrated home burials is Elvis Presley’s home burial ground at Graceland, located within the Memphis, Tennessee city limits. This was made possible thanks to a zoning variance granted by the county board.
Elvis was moved from a prior resting place by his father Vernon in 1961, and shares his home burial ground with his father, mother and his grandmother.
Bill Cosby also established a private family cemetery on his Shelburne, Massachusetts family estate, where his only son Ennis is buried.
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