Vacation Idea #19 - Afterglow Mausoleum

WISH i was on HOLIDAY

- Vacation Idea #19 -

Afterglow Mausoleum
San Juan Island, WA

Imagine seeing a sign saying mausoleum and a narrow trail. You follow the sign through a lightly wooded area where there are ancient grave stones here and there along the trail with an occasional wrought iron fence around a group of graves. More dirt trail, more thin trees, and then you round a bend in the trail and catch a glimpse of the mausoleum in the photo above. Totally out of place in the middle of the forest. In truth, I knew what was at the end of the trail and that is why we took it, but I left it as a surprise to the rest of my family who were astounded. 

So what is this mausoleum?

It was built by John S. McMillin in the late 1800's. His son said the table represented the family table. And here is where it gets interesting... the chairs are crypts for their ashes. There is a chair for John and his wife Louella and for each of their five children. You can go here to see the names and dates of those buried here. The latest to be entombed in one of the chairs was the in the 1980's.  John McMillin was a mason and used a lot of their symbols. You can go here to see more about the symbols and their meaning. One of the most notable things is the broken pillar that he included in his design. There are a few theories as to why he left an unfinished column, but my favorite is that it represented the unfinished state of mans work. His original final design included a bronze dome with a cross atop the mausoleum.

Located near Roche Harbor on San Juan island, Washington, it is something you won't want to miss. A great site to visit about the San Juan's is www.sanjuansites.com & click the things to do tab. (All of the links in this article are un-sponsored, just found them fun and wanted to share).