Borne Back Ceaselessly Into the Past: Visiting the Grave of F. Scott Fitzgerald in Rockville, MD - Entrepreneur Generations

It's been on my to-do list for a long time: to visit the final resting spot of one of America's greatest writers, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Today, during winter break, a couple of hours opened up for me while running an errand between Baltimore and DC, so I decided to do it.

There's plenty available online about F. Scott Fitzgerald's grave, including an interesting story: when he died in 1940 at the age of 44, after years of heavy drinking and two previous heart attacks, he was broke and considered himself a failure. He was also an adulterer and a non-practicing Catholic who did not take confession nor go to mass, so St. Mary's, where his family's plot lay, refused to bury him. In fact, he was buried just up the road at Rockville Cemetery, about a mile away, and a Protestant minister who had never even heard of Fitzgerald officiated the ceremony. Twenty-five people attended, just a few more than Gatsby's sad funeral from Fitzgerald's most famous novel. Zelda Fitzgerald died 8 years after her husband in a fire at the mental institution she was being treated in, and she was also buried with her husband at Rockville Cemetery.

35 years later, in 1975, local groups wanted to spruce up the original grave, and contacted the Fitzgeralds' only child, Frances Scott ("Scottie") Fitzgerald Smith (who was 19 when her father died, and in her mid-50s at that point), about it. She contacted St. Mary's, which had originally refused her father, who then agreed to let F. Scott and Zelda into the family plot. So both caskets were moved over, with Zelda's placed on top of F. Scott's. Scottie died 11 years later, in 1986, and is buried at her parents' feet.

I GPS'd my way down to the cemetery on this beautiful New Year's Eve day, and was surprised to find it in such a jam-packed area. I bet thousands of people drive by every day and have no idea one of America's greatest writers is buried just steps away from them. The church sets at 600 Veirs Mill Road, which is very busy, and is near a three-road intersection. I found parking in the back church parking lot, which had some signs about only being allowed to park if you had business in the church or school there, but I chanced it for my 15-minute visit; there were less than 10 cars in the parking lot and it didn't feel like anyone would notice.

The church itself is lovely, painted white, with several statues of the Virgin Mary and a nativity scene out in front. According to a placard on the grounds, it is the oldest Catholic church in Rockville, having been built in 1817.

Despite the busy-ness of the roads that surround St. Mary's Cemetery, there is a peacefulness in the cemetery, and I found the juxtaposition between the surroundings and the cemetery to be rather powerful. Beyond the noisy traffic, there is a modern-looking mirrored building directly across the street, which adds to the incongruence, and altogether this made the tranquility of the small cemetery feel even more penetrating.

I was the only one there; indeed, I saw no one else on the church grounds at all. I didn't research where in the cemetery the F. Scott Fitzgerald grave was, but that didn't matter; the cemetery is quite small, smaller than a football field, and I easily found it as I walked the single loop through the grounds. It was a gorgeous day, with the lighting being perfect for my I-Phone 6 Plus photography, and you'll see a bunch of shots below.

On F. Scott's grave is inscribed the powerful and sad last sentence of The Great Gatsby: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."  On this particular occasion, someone had left a bottle of Miller Lite, a bottle of champagne, and a couple of pencils. More interestingly, fluttering in the wind was the first page of The Great Gatsby with the handwritten note "Thank You" on it. Someone else had left an entire paperback copy of the novel, now soaked by the elements.

As aforementioned, Zelda and Scottie are also buried here, as well as at least a dozen other members of the Fitzgerald family. It's definitely worth a trip if you're into famous writers.

F. Scott Fitzgerald's grave and items left by fans.

The Thank You Note.

I like this shot because it has "Scottie's" grave (Zelda and F. Scott's daughter, who lived 1921-1986) in the shot, as well as shows the mirrored building in the back, an example of the interesting juxtaposition of the cemetery agains the busy urban area.

F. Scott Fitzgerald's parents, Edward and Mary, and the rest of the family.

I love this shot! Taken from the back of the cemetery before I had found the Fitzgerald graves.

One more shot from a little farther back of the Fitzgerald family burial spot. You can see the items left on F. Scott's grave.

Another angle.

Front gate of the cemetery.

Plaque outside the church.

St. Mary's Church with the cemetery behind it.

from Epiphany in Baltimore http://ift.tt/22BG1b2 Borne Back Ceaselessly Into the Past: Visiting the Grave of F. Scott Fitzgerald in Rockville, MD - Entrepreneur Generations

Posted by Entrepreneur Generations

Tweet