I found this grave while doing a google search and came upon this article titled: 11 Remarkable Graves with Incredible Back Stories.
This gravestone is located in the Fountain Hill Cemetery in Deep River, Connecticut. Nobody knows who exactly XYZ is/was but there is a story behind it. The story goes that a bank robber was shot and killed while trying to rob a bank in Deep River. Nobody knew him and he had no ID on him so the town buried him in a donated plot near the railroad tracks. I can imagine this was in or the start of the Fountain Hill Cemetery. After the man's burial, an anonymous letter requested that the grave be marked XYZ-- and so they did it.
The story continues with a woman who would visit the grave every year- she would come via train, wouldn't talk to anyone and would either leave a rose or a flower wreath. The lady would be known as the "Lady in Black" because she would always wear black while visiting the grave.
So many questions pop into my head when thinking about this folktale. Who was the woman in black or did she even exist? Was she the man's wife or lover or sister or mother? Did she write the letter requesting the grave to be marked XYZ? Why did the letter request the letters XYZ? What did they represent? Was it an initials?
What do you think of this gravestone and the folklore behind it? Comment below.
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