Today is the day when we try something different, I got very excited myself while reading about the place. It was one of the most interesting info gatherings I did, truly. Let's go!;)
Introduction:
I am happy to introduce you to Memorial Mound — a haunted house that allows people to deal with all kinds of funeral preparations. It's one of those places that brings shivers down your spine and if there ever was some kind of list including all of the haunted locations, this would surely be somewhere at the top. Once we visit a place of that kind we feel anxiety and fear because we already know some particular history of it, then we start feeling that dark climate, something starts to go wrong in the air, and so on. Many of us also feel discomfort because of the purpose these buildings/places bear. Memorial Mound is a funeral home located in south-eastern part of the United States, Alabama.
The Entrance
Genesis:
It's the year 1960 USA, a teenager named Clyde Booth quits school and begins looking for a job.
His uncle offers him one since he himself was a gravedigger.
The boy accepted the job and it became the beginning of his fascination with a dignified burial.
It soon turned out that Clyde did not feel well with physical work whatsoever, it was also difficult for him
to accept what he had to observe daily. He began to dislike the way of burying the dead.
That lead him to get extremely interested in ancient forms and methods of burial.
His actions were aimed at finding a better than universal, respectful way to say goodbye and bury our beloved ones.
In order to find solutions, he began researching Roman mounds and catacombs way back in 1969.
It was delightful for him that they were built in such a way that they lasted forever and there is still the opportunity to see and admire them, that they are a reminder of the old times and people who lived then.
Clyde Booth's life goal was to build a mausoleum that would last forever.
Over the years, he gained and constantly expanded his knowledge of the architecture and history of Roman catacombs & Indian cemeteries. His next step was to buy 16 hectares big land located in Bessemer, Alabama. The area was in the hills. At this point, he began working on the creation of a unique memorial site under the name Memorial Mound.
The way to Disgrace
First steps:
Clyde Booth spent all his savings in order to create this place.
The foundations of the Memorial Mound have reached 2.5 meters deep into the earth.
There are exactly eight levels of metal shelves used for laying all the coffins there. Mourners got their separate room since it was forbidden for them to go underground. In this room, they had the opportunity to put flower under a bronze plaque, which was made to honor the memory of their beloved ones. The complex also included a morgue, crematorium, and a chapel. It was officialy opened in 1992. For a burial in this location, estimated value was around $2,000.
The first Steps
Controversies:
The idea of creating a place of burial in which there would be a high level of respect for the dead was extremely interesting. However, most of the funeral homes refused or simply did not want to direct the bodies there.
While he was still alive, Booth considered this fact a conspiracy against him. Eight adults and one infant got buried in the complex. The year 1994 brought further problems. The authorities stated that Booth did not obtain all necessary permits for such activities. Despite not being allowed to, the owner continued burials there.
The official closing of the Memorial Mound took place in the year 2000.
It got officially sealed and all the coffins were moved to the other cemeteries. Clyde Booth died of a heart attack in 2009. The building got into the hands of his heir. It was completely abandoned, local robbers noticed it quickly and began to steal from there. It also turned out that the wrong protection of the bodies was done there, which resulted in the fact that when entering the building, we were exposed to encounter human remains. The means of embalming bodies, urns and coffins were also visible at every single step. In one of the rooms, an urn containing rotting human body was found. The artificial flowers, which were supposed to be an ornament for coffins, also have a very weird and thrilling nature.
abandoned tomb in Bessemer
A haunted funeral home:
In a very short time Memorial Mound became notorious and began to be described as haunted.
Numerous ghost hunters went there. Videos were made directly in the catacombs and uploaded to the Internet.
The object remains abandoned, undressed and closed for years. Every single expedition that took place there has been illuminated by flashlights, which furthers the dark affection of this place. It is said that the spirit of Booth resides in the complex. It is terrible to be there, not to say "ghostly". People who got to be there are often speaking about strong anxiety they felt, noises and sudden temperature changes. Shifting shadows are supposed to be very common as well. Very unpleasant smell is felt in the building itself and in its surroundings due to the leakage of liquids from the coffins. This is definitely one of the scariest places on earth. In autumn 2016 Memorial Mound was put up for sale.
Video on Youtube
Let me know about some more scary places to visit/read about in the future, the subject grown on me. As always, thank you for spending your time to read what I prepared, makes me feel wonderful!
Sources:
https://abandonedsoutheast.com/2016/06/03/memorial-mound/
http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/alabama/abandoned-funeral-home-al/
https://www.bhamwiki.com/w/Memorial_Mound
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2565898/memorial-mound