Founded in 1935,
Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park is currently maintained entirely by volunteers.
This beautiful
cemetery has memorialized such noted animal companions as:
Gypsy Queen.
In
1925,
World War I veteran Frank Heath and his
horse
Gypsy departed from Washington, D. C. with the goal of visiting all 48 of the
continental states. They completed the trip more than two years later by
returning to their original starting point. In all, the pair covered 11,356
miles, making it the longest trail ever covered by one horse under saddle. In
1938. following Gypsy Queen’s death (1936),
a public ceremony was held in which a bronze memorial plaque was erected in her
honor at the Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park.
Mary Ann.
Mary Ann was the first
elephant
to be acquired by the
Baltimore Zoo.
In 1922, She was brought to
Baltimore,
from
India,
and immediately became popular with local children. Mary Ann died in 1941 after
falling over in her sleep and injuring her spine. Her heart was later buried at
the cemetery.
Corporal Rex Ahlbin.
Rex Ahlbin
was a
combat dog
who served with the
U.S. Marine Corps
during
World War II.
In 1943, Rex served with the
U.S. 3rd Marine
Division during the
Battle of Empress
Augusta Bay at
Bougainville
Island. Rex, a two-year-old
Doberman,
warned of the presence of
Japanese
soldiers near a Marine position, enabling Marines to fend off a later attack.
Rex also served with the Marine Corps during the
Guadalcanal
campaign and at the
Battle of Tinian.
For his service, Rex was promoted to the rank of corporal by the Marine Corps in
1944. Rex is buried near the center of the cemetery, with a marker noting his
service to his country.
There are also other noted animals and
many well loved pets including birds, cats, and dogs that were each special in
their own way. Furthermore, there are human beings to be remembered due to the
fact that in 1979, RBMP became the first cemetery in the United States to permit
the burial of people with their pets. However, all burials have ceased at RBMP
since 2002.
VOLUNTEERING - Volunteers
traditionally meet to work on Sundays, weather permitting, between 10:30 a.m.
and 2:00 p.m. There’s plenty to do depending on what projects you would like to
engage in. Many memorials have become sunken over time and need to be located
and raised. There are also cemetery decorations, benches, and curbs that need
painting or restoration. For those that like gardening there are opportunities
to trim hedges, edge, mow or rake. There are always floral memorials that need
moving for mowers or that need straightening. Volunteering is self paced in
that you select the activities that best suit your time and talents. If you’d
like to volunteer please feel free to either e-mail us or visit us at RBMP
during volunteer hours on Sunday - we’ll be there and looking forward to meeting
you.
A Special Thank You
The Rosa Bonheur Society would
especially like to thank:
Bill,
Brian,
Shane, Ryan and Matt for their two four hour mowing and landscape filling
sessions that have contributed significantly to the appearance of the cemetery
and made weekly upkeep easier
Contact Information
If for any reason.
you would like to
contact the Rosa Bonheur Society you may either write or e-mail us at the
following addresses:
Mail Box:
Rosa Bonheur Society
6400 Baltimore National Pike, #221
Catonsville, Maryland 21228
E-mail
address:
rosabonheursociety@juno.com
