7 Cool Things To Look For In Old Cemeteries! 

Those old Zinkers seem to be in pretty good condition compared to some of the stones…..maybe they were on to something!

I have an ancestor that has a zinker in an old, secluded cemetery outside a dried-up rural town. During prohibition my father would removed one of the panels and leave cash for bootleggers, who would later retrieve the cash and leave a bottle of Templeton rye inside the monument.

Seems like the Zinker ads were spot on... every single one of them is as legible as the day it was made, meanwhile the stone monuments ARE all cracked and decayed. A very rare example of a product that actually lives up to the marketing blurb.

Wow! I had not idea that Sears made headstones. I grew up in a Sears mail order home that was built in 1912. Sears had you covered cradle to the grave.

Guess who drove past the Douglas Center Cemetery and geeked out because they have 2 Zinkers right in plain sight? Thoroughly embarrassed the kids. 10/10 would do it again.

Bring back The Zinker!

For me, finding periwinkle growing in the middle of the woods always makes me search for headstones/fieldstones. 50% of the time I'll find a cemetery.

Ummm.... Those zinkers look like they are holding up really well. Can you compare them to other graves from the same era? Maybe they should make a comeback?

You could still get s Sears headstone into the 70s. (The BIG Sears store in Minneapolis) When my great grandfather died in 1971 we went to Sears to look at stones, and the stone display was right behind the toy department!

The dual hearts in the Sears Catalog! That's my grandparents'! : ) How cute.

Back in 1968 as part of my final high school project for US History, English and Probability and 8:05 Statistics classes I walked to several cemeteries, both public and private, and recorded the tombstones I found. These cemeteries were as old as the early 1800’s and as late as 1968. I found there were many different types of tombstones. Some had an engraving of a lamb; some had a weeping willow tree; some showed the gate to heaven; and, some had two hands joined together. I drew each tombstone and recorded the birth and death date on each, the type of material the tombstone was made of (granite, rhyolite, marble, limestone, and even sandstone); and the overall shape of the tombstone (rectangular, pillar, odd-shaped, ovals, and heart). From all this I listed the data for each shape, inscription, material, especially the death date for each. Once organized I could show the popularity of each type. Each type of tombstone would have but one or two early on, grew in popularity, and then faded out. From this I could draw “battleship” graphs (graphs that started out with a single point on the X-axis, grew upwards over time, then curved back to the X-axis. The first point started at its date and last point was on its date. All curves were superimposed on the graph. From this, one could see which types were popular over a particular time frame. I also did my best to get the history of the deceased and matched that to the time of death and the type of tombstone. It got to the point I could look over a cemetery from a distance and tell you the time frame of the burial, the profession of the deceased, if the deceased was an unmarried woman, etc. Quite a bit of history is portrayed in a cemetery. Most every cemetery had at least one Woodsman of the World tombstone if it was in use in the later part of the 1800’s. In that same time frame one found several pillars marking high ranking soldiers who fought in the Civil War (who were also well-to-do lawyers as well). To this day I still look over old cemeteries to see if my original work still holds true. For the most part I find that it does.

I like those zinkers. I wish some one would bring them back. They do hold up better.

After watching this, I took a stroll through a cemetery here in Canada and found some zinkers. Quite a few actually. I thought it would be an american only thing. Was pretty cool to actually see them in the first cemetery I checked.

I'm from south Carolina. FYI there are many of those above ground vaults in this area with bodies in them. I've seen quite a few with bones visible through the cracked lid.

The tree stump is common with Jewish headstones. Like the emerging stone you mentioned it denotes someone who died young. There’s a Jewish cemetery right by my house (in SE Massachusetts) so I researched a lot of the different symbolism.

i find PEACE walking thru cemeteries.. and you do a great job!

The New England cemetery is spot on! We live in a small town in Mass and since it was built and incorporated in the 1600’s there are a dozen or more little cemeteries around. All with little fences with wrought iron gates and granite pillars on all four corners. The one on our street backs up to a Native American stone wall that also runs across the back of our property.

3:18, pretty interesting. I always figured they were just old collapsed coffins without vaults around them.

In Athol, MA there's a marker carved 'STONE" (only) that's literally just a boulder. It always gives me a laugh.

I have no problem with the Sears headstones, there is an infinite variety and top quality so what's not to like? Have seen some "tree stump" headstones, they are cool too.

Just a note about war monuments: If you see a soldier mounded on a horse and the horse has all its feet on the ground it means the soldier survived the battle… A horse with one leg off the ground means the soldier was wounded in battle but survived… A horse reared up on only their back legs (touching the ground) means the soldier was killed in battle. Hope this helps when you visit a military cemetery or battleground.

I grew up near a very large, very old cemetery in SE Wisconsin that I walked through every single day on my way home from school. I recognize ALL of these types of headstones - there are even a few of the Sears tree stump models there! definitely want to go back one of these days and see if I can spot any zinkers.

Hey! I never knew that about the “unfinished” headstones! There are some of those in the cemetery that my fiancé and I frequently take walks in. I’m gonna point that out to her next time we’re there and mention that it may have likely came from a seer’s catalogue :) I also do recognize some of the other headstones shown too!

I've walked around maybe 20 cemeteries across north/central Texas and never spied a zinker. I have however seen so many Sears stones...and not known it. I won't be able to unsee it. You have a great channel by the way, I found you from Al Muqaddimah's "Best of History RU-vid" playlist.

I'm surprised you didn't cover the Woodmen of the World headstones. They're always timber/log themed and some of my favorite headstone designs from a membership society that is now an insurance group.

I grew up in Syracuse NY. My grandmother lived in apartment complex’s. When we went to see her we would picnic in the graveyards nearby. (They were safer than the public parks) We were see to run between while dragging kites up. We got more savvy and used fishing pole to flick the kite up with 15’ of space.

I love checking out old cemeteries! I always look for the oldest grave, and I also read the tombstones. Sometimes there is interesting things chiseled on them. Funny sayings, etc.

Honestly, I liked the idea of living in a house that comes with an old cemetery because, at least, it would give me something to do other than watch videos. Just keeping the old thing tidy kind of thing. Thought about trying to look some up for when my partners and I move to Europe. lol

The zink headstones are beautiful. They are also VERY fragile. They are usually damaged by lawnmowers. The detail on them is gorgeous!

Wow! Thank you. Now I'll have to go to our old cemetery and check these out. One cool thing I noticed at the 0.34 marker was the oil lamp/ urn on top the column. Our cemetery actually has an urn with a cloth over it signifying life snuffed out. I think I also saw at the very edge of a frame a broken column. Unless the column has actually been broken off, it is often a symbol of a life cut short. Going to start looking for Zinkers now.

There's actually a tree stump headstone in a cemetery near an office I used to work at. I remember sticking out that I noticed it right away when I passed it going to work

That divot in a cemetery is more likely a burial of either just a casket, or a rough box, a vault made out of wood, that has decomposed and sunken in. That's why most places require a concrete burial vault nowadays. It's to keep the cemetery up... Hard on a lawn mower to be dropping in those divots all the time. Also you can get a truck stuck in one pretty easy in the wet time of year. I've been a vault man and done cemetery work for over 40 years. I have some experience...

As an amputee growing up I was always the slowest runner out of all my class mates. As such I finished every foot race in las place. For this reason, I want my headstone to say, "I finished ahead of you in the human race.," But already, some of my classmates are still finishing ahead of me. I never picked up the habit of smoking. Maybe that's why.

A couple of observations and a comment: the tree truck-looking headstones, common in my area, are often provided by Woodmen of the World. Sunken graves are most commonly caused by the decomposition of the coffin, especially in shallow graves. Fieldstone grave markers, instead of being rare, are the commonest type of headstone in the area where I live, a rural part of Arkansas.

I love white bronze memorials. They have held up so well over the years and I love seeing them. It seems too bad they fell out of fashion because they look so good today.

The Zinkers were popular here in the Dallas area, I see them in many cemeteries, especially in the suburbs and rural areas. They are durable, was walking in an old cemetery on a hill in Mesquite, Texas and found a Zinker that was struck by a bullet, with little damage. It’s all houses around it now, but I can imagine someone shooting in the field 50 or 80 years ago when the cemetery would’ve been far removed from any houses and accidentally striking it. Any time I’m able to travel to New England my friends are exasperated because all I want to do is explore old cemeteries, since they are ancient compared to the ones in my area, where a monument from even the 1870s is often the oldest, and rare. Excellent video.

In the South, cedar trees were planted in cemeteries to mark the perimeters or to mark a lone grave. We find them everywhere on our hunting lands.

Another great video. The research you find about history and then present to us for free is amazing. It's better than most TV shows.

Sears & Roebuck sold literally *EVERYTHING* back-in-the-day, from pre-fab houses to cars.

Those giant pines are beautiful

Interesting that all the Zinkers were made in Bridgeport, Conn. I used to visit relatives there in my youth and we would explore the nearby very cool cemetery. It even had the grave of P.T. Barnum.

We visited the cemetery outside Templeton, Iowa, and found a bunch of those Zinkers. Templeton is home to Templeton rye whiskey, which was apparently a favorite of Al Capone's. We ran into a local in the cemetery who told us bootleggers would take those removable panels off to put whiskey inside for someone to pick up; the recipient would take the whiskey and leave their money in the same place. It was an interesting story, although I wouldn't be surprised if he was pulling our legs. The tree trunk headstones are more common in some parts of the midwestern US. They seem to have some connection to "Modern Woodmen of America," which is a fraternal/insurance organization that originated in small town Iowa in the late 1800s.

I did landscaping in a cemetery one summer in college. Once you get over the creep factor, it’s actually a relaxing, peaceful place to work. I actually never came across a zinker.

Fascinating! Here in Los Angeles, we have *easy to mow* flat, embedded markers. Any trip east hopes to include a cemetery stop for hubby and I. Words, images, and choices made do elicit surprising emotions in me. RIP

I used to walk my dog all the time in an old cemetery, especially during COVID. I recognize pretty much all of those Sears headstones. They're very attractive and have held up. The zinc stones have held up too,

One of my relatives who died in 1902 has that particular Sears tree stump monument at the end of your video. I have husband/wife relatives who have a 1896 zink monument. The 1896 zink monument looks absolutely brand new. The stone markers surrounding the zink marker are badly weathered. There is a 120ish year old zink monument in a cemetery where a friend of mine is buried. That zink monument also looks brand new and way better than the surrounding stone monuments. I hope someone starts making zink monuments again.

I'm going to the cemetery to look for these finds! thank you for sharing.

Never underestimate old cemeteries.

The stone logs.. I've seen many when I lived in Western Kentucky. There are two located in one cemetery in Hickory. And at least one more in another, up the same road.

Honestly, if "zinkers" lasted this long and are still in that kind of condition, I wouldn't knock the advertising. They were clearly correct.

Sears was the Amazon of its day. Last fall I arranged for my own monument. Wish I had known about a zinker lol. The family cemetery reflects the people and time passed. There are field stone, concrete, limestone and granite markers dating back to before the civil war. I'll look for a hollow metal one next time I visit the folks. My cousin found a product that cleans all that grimy patina off- makes the stone look new! Don't know the name of it but it exists for those interested and so inclined.

Got a couple of those zinc ones in our old cemetery up here they're holding up very well and approaching a 150 years old at least . Gotta say I like the shorter videos a little bit more

I always wanted to know about the zinckers! Thank you! I always felt like they looked more like Halloween decorations tombstones than the stone ones do. I also didn't know about Sears tombstones - and I recognize a lot of them!

Wow, cool!! I thought these were aluminum, but then I questioned the capability of aluminum production in the 19th century.

I'm a funeral director in Canada 🇨🇦 Where I am, many of the old rural cemeteries have the 'tree stump'. I love them! And the old children's markers are often lambs. Never heard of Zinkers, but I'll be checking now.

Stopping by cemeteries whenever I travel is a favorite hobby of mine. I call it "visiting the locals." This gives me something to look out for. Good video!

I see those tree stump headstones all the time in the cemetery's near by.

Those Zinkers held up really well, just like the ad said. Still clear and legible after all those years. The stone ones are cracked and worn, just like the ad said. I guess we can't get any more of these these days because the entire mortuary industry is a total ripoff.

I recognize nearly all the old Sears style headstones from seeing them down in the old River bottoms grave yard in my part of the world. Small farming towns along the Mississippi River in Minnesota

We have several of these in the old section of our town cemetery! I never knew they had a name. Makes me want to learn more about it. Thank you!

Sears sold kit houses too

I work in cemeteries, usually those sunken spots are casket collapses

Very cool. I found one of these walking through an old cemetery in northern Vermont while I was up there for work. I was actually initially drawn to it because it looked like an old stone monument but was in remarkably good condition. When I touched it I realized it was metallic. This video explains it. Considering how pristine it was, I’d say their advertising was accurate.

I've actually seen quite a few of those tree stump ones around here in Indiana. I was told they also symbolized people who died young. And boy, do I recognize a ton of those stones...I worked in a cemetery for a few years and those Sears ones really are everywhere.

you are going places, this channel is amazing!

interesting as always!

Content like this is why I love RU-vid

I see thousands of headstones. Reconize all but two of the sears models Lol. Grew up next to two BIG Cemetaries. Worked in one of them for years.

"Next time you're walking through a cemetery..." Yeah, cause that's thing we totally just do...for fun. lmao. Never change DSA. Never change.

They say you die twice. The first time when your body dies. The second time you die is when your name is spoken for the last time.

Sears still sells monuments. Those Zinkers really do have a bluish tinge! Maybe that's what makes them look like they glow at night....

Subscribed, my mother used to work in a funeral home & this type of headstone i never knew existed. So much detail on this im gonna enjoy watching this ❤😊

The Zinkers are kinda cool. They're not THAT bad.

The sunken ground is actually collapsed caskets before they used vaults.

I grew up in Central Illinois and in my teens and twenties visited some somewhat-old cemeteries (not as old as those you get in New England: Illinois became a state only in 1818 and I think the earliest stones I saw were from the early 1880s. Lots of tall tree-stump ones, apparently with connections to fraternal societies… now to see whether you’ve done a video on those.

I enjoyed your story. Thank you. I went exploying in a cemetery behind a church in Middletown, CT. I found stones of the same size and style with the carvers name on it.

Ancient Order of the Woodsmen was an organization in my area in the 1800's & early 1990's, we have many Sears Log headstones in our old cemeteries. And I just want to say, I wish the Zinker was still around, it lived up to it's hype, Still a beautiful monument today!

I love your channels! Entertaining and educational. You must spend hours researching the topics you bring to life, much respect, also your energy level is off the charts!! Job well done.

I absolutely love cemetery hunting(walking!) & I am so happy to have seen this video to give me more things to look for on my walks…I have a great collection of interesting headstones & love looking into the past lives of those who are interred there.

I noticed in the Sears catalog, it touting the best Barre granite at 6:44. That's my home state of Vermont!

I absolutely Love Cemeteries and always have, especially the Old ones. They tend to be quiet and peaceful places where I can just go for a nice walk and be alone with my thoughts. I enjoy reading the headstones, looking at the dates and thinking about the people and imagining what their lives may have been like. I've encountered many of those "Zincers" although didn't know that was what they're called. Now a want to pick up some tiny, sound activated devices I can hide, so when someone knocks they'll hear a disembodied voice respond. "Who is it?" Or "Go Away! I'm sleeping!"

when my grandpa passed away, we took a stroll theough the small cemetery and saw mostly older headstones, with a few new stuff sprinkled in. One that stood out to me was that trre stump you had mentioned, i had never seen it befire and have yet to see one like it since. It was pretty neat!

Sears had it all. No crime in that. Got my first bike, Stars Wars Kenner action figure, there, first stove and fridge. Loved that store. Quite a shame it's gone. Now where's the headstone for Sears?

That last tree stump one from Sears in in one of our local cemeteries. In fact our local cemeteries are pretty much all Sears models you just showed. A lot of our homes are Sears models still. Small town life

Zinkers. Another strange and specific thing to come out of my local city. And you're right, there are a lot of them around here so thanks for the info!

Glad I found this. Had a vacation cottage in “Down East” Maine. Up the road a bit there’s a cemetery that’s got a bunch of zinker’s. Always thought they were aluminum.

I like these "zinkers" love the blue gray hue...and they seem to last! Love old cemetaries and do photography there

Really cool video. There is a Sears tree stump stone in my local cemetery. I didn't know what it was until today. Thanks!

Our small town cemetery has a Sears tree stump! Never knew it was made by Sears! So cool. Thank you

Wow thanks to the algorithm, it's the first time I found cemeteries are so Kool, I can't wait to have my own stone anymore 😊

The tree trunk headstone that you show and is from sears. In Evergreen Cemetery in Jacksonville FL has SO SO MANY OF THEM. 😊

i know for a fact that i've seen these in older cemetaries in my area. Such a cool video! Algorithm showed me your content about a week ago and i've been bingeing it ever since! Love the "local tour guide" kind of vibe and the editing you do

We have one of those tree stumps in my local cemetery!! I thought it was strange but that maybe he was a logger or something. Cool learning that they’re actually a sears thing! Thanks. ☺️

I work for a lawn care company and we have several cemeteries that we mow (some with people born in the 1700’s). I will be paying more attention to the different types of stone or zinkers. I enjoyed this video!

There goes the neighborhood!! The freaky part is when you hear knocking coming from a Zinc stone.

Another great video! I live next-door to an old cemetery, I might have another look around

I only learned about zinkers a couple years ago during a guided tour of North Burial Ground, which it looks like some of your photos are from. If you have a chance, go on one of their Full Moon hikes. At 5:00 - wow, instantly recognized this as the cemetery in Black Hut. I grew up on the lake so I used to wander around in these woods ALL the time. I was always impressed by those stately trees (and how I first recognized it). In recent years, the Mencuccis have done an amazing job of cleaning and maintaining the cemeteries in town, this one being no exception, despite being a bit "off the beaten trail." I didn't know about the Sears headstones before, and I've certainly seen many of those designs. If you want to learn more neat stuff about local cemeteries, look up Rhode Island Cemetery Weeks, which is a series of events held state-wide every spring, and don't miss the Elder Ballou Cemetery & Cumberlandite tours offered several times a year.

My dad workred at Rookwood Cemetary in Sydney. He was always left upset when tending the paupers graves.

I've seen the tree stump one, more than once! I wish I had made notes of all the cemetery visits I've made over the last 30 years. It's a beautiful day today, maybe I'll go visit some I haven't hit here in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. Love the videos! Thank you!

Funny talking about Sears. Yeah, they were the Amazon of their day. Sold headstones, houses, household goods, etc.