John B. Ford has been found!

When Jill and I were in Lawrenceville this past weekend, it was such a beautiful day that we decided to go to Allegheny Cemetery to take pictures of the newly blooming trees and flowers. We also were told that there were many notables like the Carnegies and Mellons buried there.

We stopped at the front office to obtain a map and other items, one of which was a tour guide brochure. Jill and I, seriously, nearly peed our pants when we saw that John B. Ford was buried there. After confirming that it was "our" John B. Ford, that was our first stop.

Captain John B. Ford is the founder of Pittsburgh Plate and Glass (PPG) and Ford City's founder. We have a statue of him in our park. The high school kids take part in Founder's Day activities each year. We Ford City people LOVE John B. Ford. So, how in the hell did neither of us know where he was buried? I guess I just assumed that he was buried where he originally came from and I must admit, I don't know that either!

The brochure stated that Ford is entombed in one of the very first private mausoleums in the cemetery. It is gorgeous and looks very church like. Two beautiful statues sit in front as well as granite planter pots that sit at the very end.
Stained-glass windows, in the most gorgeous combination of periwinkle and blue are in the bell tower. Some of them are missing.

The view through the window shows the tomb.

We were on the lookout for "The Angel". We were told that there was this giant angel statue that had patina'd. We found her. She was at least six to seven feet tall. It was noted by Todd, on Facebook that she is doing something with her fingers and he wondered if it was something symbolic.












This private mausoleum had a fresh bunch of flowers placed on it. I just loved the starkness of the granite, against the patina of the door, which makes the colors of the flowers totally pop out.















Inside, was a very beautiful stained glass window.



















There were some unusual ones as well. This one had a gold or bronze door, which was really taken care of.

Two sphinxes were guarding the outside.

The cemetery is filled with wildlife. It also houses two ponds that are totally inhabited by Canadian geese. Jill and I snapped some photos and then sat on one of the benches. All of a sudden, one of the geese got all pissed off and one that was near us and literally charged it. I had my camera all ready, while Jill is getting ready to jump on my back to save herself.
All ended well, the picked on goose went to the other pond.

While visiting this cemetery, we noticed a lot of walkers and runners. This is a wonderful place to get some exercise. The view is awesome and the artwork can keep you busy for hours. While driving through, I couldn't help but wonder how many of the monuments there I had lettered while working many weekends at Carlini Brothers. Some days I miss that craft. It's been said that it gets in your blood. I guess that is why I am always drawn to cemeteries.