Search Engine What if the cemetery goes out of business? (classic)
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May 1, 2026 
David Sloane, a USC professor and cemetery historian, explores the strange life cycle of burial grounds. He talks about growing up in a cemetery, how America invented the modern cemetery, why cremation and changing family habits threaten their future, and what can happen when a burial ground runs out of money.
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The Cemetery Website That Sounded Desperate
- Lucas found a Muslim cemetery website written in first person, pleading for money and calling itself a risk-free 401k.
- The bizarre copy made him wonder what actually happens when a cemetery goes broke and who protects the bodies.
Growing Up In A Cemetery Changed Death For Him
- David Sloane grew up in a 200-acre cemetery, then buried babies, full bodies, and cremations as a teenager and young adult.
- He says that closeness made death feel practical and ordinary instead of distant in the usual American way.
Why America Invented The Modern Cemetery
- The modern American cemetery emerged when cities expanded and family graves on farms became vulnerable to development and neglect.
- Reformers also feared disease-causing miasma and embraced Romantic nature, so they moved the dead into protected green spaces outside crowded cities.
