Somehow, we found out that Frankenstein’s grave is in Canton, OH. We think it was one of us searching lists of things to do in the area. It turns out that this was right beside the McKinley memorial, so there was no reason to miss it. The West Lawn Cemetery was established in 1861, so it has some extremely elaborate tombstones, crypts, and mausoleums. We looked at them as we drove by, but we did not photograph them.

There are four small family graves and one large grave. In the story, Frankenstein is the doctor, and he animates Frankenstein’s Monster. The monster kills the doctor’s family, and the doctor pursues him to the Arctic. John’s theory is that the four graves are the family, and the big grave is the monster.

In reality, there is no relation to the Mary Shelley story. This was a real family that lived in the area – Charles and Augusta Frankenstein. Frankenstein is a real German surname. Several families with the Frankenstein surname immigrated in the 1820’s and settled in Ohio.