Friday, June 29, 2012

The Witt Crypt

This old vault is obscured by its location on a low path which runs parallel to the Cemetery's South Ridge Road.  Built into the hillside, its roof vents can be seen from the plot of Little Georgie.  With its entrance now sealed with stone blocks and its approach ankle-deep in leaves or grass (depending on the season), it looks rather forlorn now, but still retains some elegance with its wonderful rose-colored granite pillars (one of which is sadly missing) and arched doorway.


The crypt was built for Stillman Witt, a millionaire industrialist and philanthropist from Cleveland.  Witt died at sea while on a trip for his health.  His 1875 obituary from the New York Times can be read here.

When it was first built, this would've been considered a very fine location.  There are a number of notable plots along this path - including the Strong family and Mayor Eli Perry.  The crypt would have also overlooked Consecration Lake with its scenic ravine paths.

1 comment:

  1. All about Stillman Witt.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stillman_Witt

    ReplyDelete