Rest in peace ... repeatedly
The three resting places of President James A. Garfield
Garfield was shot in Washington, D.C. on July 2, 1881, and died on September 19, 1881. After lying in state and a lengthy train ride through the country, his body was placed on view in Cleveland, Ohio (near his home of Mentor) for a day. His funeral was held on on September 26, 1881, and he was temporarily interred in the public vault at Cleveland's Lake View Cemetery. That vault was designed by local architect Joseph Ireland and built in 1871.
Garfield's body was transferred on October 22 to an empty mausoleum owned and designed by noted local architect Levi Scofield. (The tomb uses the spelling Schofield which he adopted later in life.) A 24-hour guard was placed on the tomb after four men attempted to enter it on October 23. Relic hunters tried to chip pieces off the tomb, remove floral tributes, and even pull up grass, flowers, bushes, and weeds nearby. Fearing the Scofield tomb would be damaged, a wire fence was erected around it to keep people at bay.
On May 30, 1890, a massive new memorial to Garfield was dedicated at Lake View. The night before the dedication, Garfield's body was transferred to the crypt of the memorial.
At some point after 1900, the public vault was demolished. No one knows exactly when.
Garfield was shot in Washington, D.C. on July 2, 1881, and died on September 19, 1881. After lying in state and a lengthy train ride through the country, his body was placed on view in Cleveland, Ohio (near his home of Mentor) for a day. His funeral was held on on September 26, 1881, and he was temporarily interred in the public vault at Cleveland's Lake View Cemetery. That vault was designed by local architect Joseph Ireland and built in 1871.
Garfield's body was transferred on October 22 to an empty mausoleum owned and designed by noted local architect Levi Scofield. (The tomb uses the spelling Schofield which he adopted later in life.) A 24-hour guard was placed on the tomb after four men attempted to enter it on October 23. Relic hunters tried to chip pieces off the tomb, remove floral tributes, and even pull up grass, flowers, bushes, and weeds nearby. Fearing the Scofield tomb would be damaged, a wire fence was erected around it to keep people at bay.
On May 30, 1890, a massive new memorial to Garfield was dedicated at Lake View. The night before the dedication, Garfield's body was transferred to the crypt of the memorial.
At some point after 1900, the public vault was demolished. No one knows exactly when.