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Decatur Cemetery


Established in 1823, Decatur Cemetery is older than the city of Atlanta itself.  Through the iron gates sprawled pathways lined by stone walls and oak trees. There were monuments of varying sizes and shapes, some worn and peppered with lichen. 

 Within the cemetery, there are a few mysterious letterbox locations. Letterboxing is a past time similar to geocaching. Participants use riddles to find hidden boxes. Inside the box is a pad of paper that is stamped and dated by the finders. My boyfriend and I trekked through the cemetery to find the hidden boxes. We managed to find one of the three, which was soaked with water. Although we didn't find all, our cemetery exploration proved successful.

soaked letterbox, hiding under the tree trunk.

Thomas Holley Chivers
Upon research, I found that Decatur Cemetery is home to a man named Thomas Holley Chivers. Chivers was a Medical Doctor who became a poet, achieving mild fame at the time. He is famous for his friendship and correspondence with Edgar Allan Poe. Poe even called Chivers "one of the best and one of the worst poets in America." Poetry of Chivers often had dark themes with religious overtones. He felt that poetry was a divine gift. If you'd care to read some of Chiver's works, check out his [poemhunter page].

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  1. kitty starrJune 21, 2013 at 12:45 PM

    I am so going to check out hi poetry!
    You real work as a ghost tour guide? this is probably one of the best jobs ever!

    Kitty.
    http://skyquake.org

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OddGhoulOutJune 21, 2013 at 12:52 PM

      I do work as a ghost tour guide! It's a fun job, especially during the month of October.

      Delete
  2. Insomniac's AtticJune 21, 2013 at 1:29 PM

    I couldn't make it past the second line of most of Mr. Chiver's poems, but I did like Humpty Dumpty: a la Poe. That one was particularly awesome!

    I'd never heard of letterboxing before. What a neat idea! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OddGhoulOutJune 21, 2013 at 4:12 PM

      "Humpty Dumpty: A La Poe" is by far my favorite of his! There's letterboxing locations all over the place. You might be able to find one in your area.

      Delete
  3. Laura MorriganJune 22, 2013 at 6:35 AM

    Letterboxing sounds really interesting!

    I adore old cemeteries, they are so full of atmosphere and the memories of people ages past.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OddGhoulOutJune 22, 2013 at 8:22 AM

      It is very interesting; I'd love to do more of it. I have a prefeence for old cemeteries as well. The new ones (at least where I live) just don't have the atmosphere! There's so little trees, and monuments look the same.

      Delete
  4. MargaretJuly 6, 2013 at 3:43 AM

    I hadn't heard of letterboxing before, but it sounds like a very interesting pasttime :3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OddGhoulOutJuly 6, 2013 at 5:36 AM

      It is interesting, and I hope to do it again.

      Delete

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