The Story Behind Cleveland's Weeping Gravestone Will Chill You To The Bone
By Catherine Armstrong|Published May 16, 2017
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Catherine Armstrong
Author
Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
Cleveland’s Lake View Cemetery is hauntingly beautiful, and has even been called “Cleveland’s Outdoor Museum” because of all the incredible sculptures found throughout the 95,000 grave sites there. There’s one sculpture in particular that’s quite unsettling, though.
You'll find Lake View Cemetery at 12316 Euclid Avenue in Cleveland. The cemetery was founded in 1869, and is the resting place for many of Cleveland's wealthy and famous.
Take a stroll through the 285 acres here. You'll find the graves of several Rockefeller family members, many of Cleveland's past mayors, and President James A. Garfield and First Lady Lucretia Garfield.
But the creepiest of all? "The Angel of Death Victorious," often simply called, "The Haserot Angel." It marks the graves of Francis Haserot and his family members.
This statue was created for the family by sculptor Herman Matzen in 1923. The Hazerots made their fortune in canned foods, and were among the elite and wealthy of Cleveland during the early twentieth century.
The angel holds a torch, which is upside-down to symbolize an extinguished life. The beautiful angel might be considered serene and peaceful... except for one thing.