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All the United States Virginia Arlington Headstone-Eating Trees

Headstone-Eating Trees

The rogue roots are gradually consuming some of the historic marble grave markers.

Arlington, Virginia

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Elliot Carter
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Corporal Chas Ippel on the right, died on July 26, 1863.   Elliot Carter
Nibbling at the marker for Velma Hall.   Anna Minster / Atlas Obscura User
  Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
  Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
  Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
  Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
  Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Unknown Soldier #7046.   Elliot Carter
This one has been almost entirely consumed.   Elliot Carter
One of the trees in question.   Elliot Carter
Ouch.   Elliot Carter
Unknown Number 7046.   Elliot Carter
Unknown Soldier   Dixontrips / Atlas Obscura User
Shot of the grave-eating tree taken from the tram   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
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Arlington National Cemetery is hallowed ground for the U.S. Armed Forces, with around 400,000 burials since 1864 representing every American war. The sprawling rows of white marble headstones and grassy lawns are shaded by more than 8,600 majestic trees. As a work of landscape architecture, the effect is inspiring.

But a few rogue trees are currently in the process of consuming some of the headstones. You can see it here and there in the older parts of the cemetery, where the marble markers are thickly embedded in the arboreal roots and stick out of the timber like stubby molars. Find A Grave puts the count at 11 afflicted markers, with most of the entombed having served in the Civil War, World War I, or World War II.

The headstone absorption is actually progressing much more rapidly than it would initially appear. The case of Corporal Chas Ippel is a prime example. Find a Grave has photos dated from 2008 that show the stone as relatively unmolested, with the inscribed text still clearly readable. However, as of September 2017, a nearby willow oak's roots have expanded by inches and begun to absorb the grave. Now all that’s readable is “S IPPEL.” Anecdotal calculations suggest that the tree will eat another character from the inscription every year.

When the tree eventually dies, it will be interesting to see how authorities handle the embedded stone. Perhaps some future chainsaw-wielding arborist will be asked to wade into the solid timber in search of the lost marker.

Related Tags

Gravestones Cemeteries Trees Lost Memorials Signs History Civil War Military Wwi World War Ii World War I Plants Graves

Know Before You Go

Lat/Long tags the headstone of Corp Charles "Chas" Ippel, who was killed in 1863 during the Civil War. Go to Section 13 Site 8000.

Community Contributors

Added By

Elliot Carter

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Anna Minster, Dixontrips, blimpcaptain, Jason Michael Walker

  • Anna Minster
  • Dixontrips
  • blimpcaptain
  • Jason Michael Walker

Published

September 25, 2017

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  • http://arlingtoncemetery.net/rooted-in-tradition.html
  • https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=vcsr&GSob=c&GSvcid=438335&
Headstone-Eating Trees
Arlington National Cemetary
Section 13 Site 8000
Arlington, Virginia
United States
38.877169, -77.075225
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