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| - I've visited a lot of historical memorials, monuments, and other like buildings over the years. I came across the Garfield Memorial as I was looking for the Haserot Angel at Lake View Cemetery. I was drawn to the building because of the architecture. I was glad I visited the second week of April since it opens for the season on April 1st. Lucky!!!
TIP: This is a historic building that has a lot of stairs in spiral formation. The stairs are quite narrow and there is a handrail only on one side.
Upon entering, I was greeted by a volunteer who was extremely friendly and quite knowledgeable. I started out downstairs in the crypt area. Behind locked bars, there are two caskets (President Garfield and Mrs. Garfield) and two urns (Molly, their daughter and husband Joseph). I walked around the entire circle and was struck by the oil heaters which were intricate in their design. I know...oil heaters? Yes, they were striking.
From there, I went upstairs to get a view of the Garfield statue from the top. The high ceilings, lighting, and overall design is breathtaking. I continued my journey to the balcony where you can get a shot of downtown Cleveland.
On your way out, be sure to visit the small gift area, make a donation, and buy a map of the cemetery (the booklet with descriptions). For $5, it will save you some time wandering around.
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