Abandoned mausoleum in Alabama shows decomposing skeletons

August 2024 ยท 6 minute read

Ghoulish pictures and video footage showing the moment an urban explorer came across human corpses left to rot in an underground mausoleum have come to light.

The creepy snaps reveal a series of caskets - some empty and some inhabited - and a map of the underground structure and chapel room where families would lay their loved ones to rest.

One shot even shows cupboards still stocked with embalming powder, while another shows yellowish skeletal remains.

The pictures were taken at the Memorial Mound in Bessemer, Alabama, which was opened by former gravedigger Clyde Booth in 1992 as an alternative to graveyards that he found were often neglected and left to deteriorate.

The incredible scenes were captured by an urban explorer known only as 'Bullet'.

It was pitch black inside the mound when Bullet and his friends went to explore and the biggest problem they had was manoeuvring with their flashlights.

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The pictures were taken at the Memorial Mound in Bessemer, Alabama, which was opened by former gravedigger Clyde Booth in 1992 as an alternative to graveyards that he found were often neglected and left to deteriorate. The urban explorer who captured the images, known only as 'Bullet', said: 'It still amazes me that something like this could occur. This type of stuff happens here in the US, which many people find it hard to believe'

The pictures were taken at the Memorial Mound in Bessemer, Alabama, which was opened by former gravedigger Clyde Booth in 1992 as an alternative to graveyards that he found were often neglected and left to deteriorate. The urban explorer who captured the images, known only as 'Bullet', said: 'It still amazes me that something like this could occur. This type of stuff happens here in the US, which many people find it hard to believe'

The creepy snaps reveal a series of caskets - some empty and some inhabited - and a map of the underground structure and chapel room where families would lay their loved ones to rest. It was pitch black inside the mound when Bullet and his friends went to explore and the biggest problem they had was manoeuvring with their flashlights

The creepy snaps reveal a series of caskets - some empty and some inhabited - and a map of the underground structure and chapel room where families would lay their loved ones to rest. It was pitch black inside the mound when Bullet and his friends went to explore and the biggest problem they had was manoeuvring with their flashlights

Bullet added: 'People can't believe that bodies can be left behind in an abandoned building, especially in the United States. There were more bodies up in the caskets above but we could not reach them. Some friends and I tried reporting it to the local police but they never responded.' Pictured: One of the empty caskets 

Bullet added: 'People can't believe that bodies can be left behind in an abandoned building, especially in the United States. There were more bodies up in the caskets above but we could not reach them. Some friends and I tried reporting it to the local police but they never responded.' Pictured: One of the empty caskets 

The remains of chairs and what appears to be a lectern are scattered across a floor in the abandoned mausoleum. Bullet added: 'It wasn't until another friend of mine reported it to the FBI citing graverobbers that something was finally done. By then, someone had stolen the skull from the human remains you see in the photos' 

The remains of chairs and what appears to be a lectern are scattered across a floor in the abandoned mausoleum. Bullet added: 'It wasn't until another friend of mine reported it to the FBI citing graverobbers that something was finally done. By then, someone had stolen the skull from the human remains you see in the photos' 

'People can't believe that bodies can be left behind in an abandoned building, especially in the United States,' he added.

'There were more bodies up in the caskets above but we could not reach them. Some friends and I tried reporting it to the local police but they never responded.

'It wasn't until another friend of mine reported it to the FBI citing graverobbers that something was finally done. By then, someone had stolen the skull from the human remains you see in the photos.' 

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'Clyde Booth used to dig graves as a teenager in Kentucky with his uncle. He witnessed firsthand the neglect that occurred at graveyards, from deteriorating caskets to unkempt grounds,' he said.

'Since 1969, Booth studied ancient burial sites such as mounds and the catacombs of Rome. The fact that the mounds and catacombs still existed today amazed Booth. He wanted to create a burial site that integrated both these concepts.

'In 1992, he opened Memorial Mound in Bessemer. Built on 16 acres, the foundation rests eight feet below the ground. Instead of being buried in the ground as in conventional cemeteries, caskets were placed on metal racks in a vast, warehouse-like room, and stacked up to eight levels high.

One of the skeletons found by Bullet during his exploration of the mausoleum. Recounting the history of the creepy establishment, Bullet explained: 'Clyde Booth used to dig graves as a teenager in Kentucky with his uncle. He witnessed firsthand the neglect that occurred at graveyards, from deteriorating caskets to unkempt grounds' 

One of the skeletons found by Bullet during his exploration of the mausoleum. Recounting the history of the creepy establishment, Bullet explained: 'Clyde Booth used to dig graves as a teenager in Kentucky with his uncle. He witnessed firsthand the neglect that occurred at graveyards, from deteriorating caskets to unkempt grounds' 

Bullet went on: 'Since 1969, Booth studied ancient burial sites such as mounds and the catacombs of Rome. The fact that the mounds and catacombs still existed today amazed Booth. He wanted to create a burial site that integrated both these concepts.' Pictured: Three of the caskets remaining in the mausoleum 

Bullet went on: 'Since 1969, Booth studied ancient burial sites such as mounds and the catacombs of Rome. The fact that the mounds and catacombs still existed today amazed Booth. He wanted to create a burial site that integrated both these concepts.' Pictured: Three of the caskets remaining in the mausoleum 

The map of the mausoleum, shown in a photograph taken by Bullet, shows the different sections of the building. The surface on which it is printed has been cracked 

The map of the mausoleum, shown in a photograph taken by Bullet, shows the different sections of the building. The surface on which it is printed has been cracked 

An advertisement for the mausoleum One shot even shows cupboards still stocked with embalming powder, while another shows yellowish skeletal remains

One shot (right) even shows cupboards still stocked with embalming powder, while another shows yellowish skeletal remains. Left: An advertisement for the mausoleum 

'Grieving visitors couldn't enter the room where the caskets were stored, but were allowed to lay flowers on the large earthen mound, place a bronze memorial on a marble wall inside the structure or even call up a biography of the deceased on a computer.

'Booth died in 2009 at the age of 89 from a heart attack, leaving his estate in the hands of his guardian.

'It wasn't long before the building was ransacked, including a skull which had become missing from one of the bodies.

More embalming powder found at the abandoned mausoleum. Bullet explained: 'In 1992, he opened Memorial Mound in Bessemer. Built on 16 acres, the foundation rests eight feet below the ground. Instead of being buried in the ground as in conventional cemeteries, caskets were placed on metal racks in a vast, warehouse-like room, and stacked up to eight levels high' 

More embalming powder found at the abandoned mausoleum. Bullet explained: 'In 1992, he opened Memorial Mound in Bessemer. Built on 16 acres, the foundation rests eight feet below the ground. Instead of being buried in the ground as in conventional cemeteries, caskets were placed on metal racks in a vast, warehouse-like room, and stacked up to eight levels high' 

Bullet said the remains of one child and seven adults were removed by cops after it was reported in 2015. He went on: 'Booth died in 2009 at the age of 89 from a heart attack, leaving his estate in the hands of his guardian. It wasn't long before the building was ransacked, including a skull which had become missing from one of the bodies'

Bullet said the remains of one child and seven adults were removed by cops after it was reported in 2015. He went on: 'Booth died in 2009 at the age of 89 from a heart attack, leaving his estate in the hands of his guardian. It wasn't long before the building was ransacked, including a skull which had become missing from one of the bodies'

'In January 2015, AL.com became aware of the facility, and reported it to the authorities. The remains of one infant and seven adults were removed by the Bessemer Police Department, and the building secured.

'It still amazes me that something like this could occur. This type of stuff happens here in the US, which many people find it hard to believe.

'For example, The Morning Glory Scandal happened in Jacksonville in 1988, which involved 'burying' bodies by stacking them in closets inside of the funeral home. While this led to more regulation in the funeral industry, stuff like this still happens.' 

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