Dragon Door Handles -- City of St Louis, MO USA
N 38° 41.624 W 090° 13.831
15S E 740865 N 4286431
The Busch Mausoleum, a Gothic masterpiece and one of the most striking Mausoleums in Bellefontaine Cemetery, features dragon door handles
Waymark Code: WM15RN4
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 02/17/2022
Views: 12
The Adolphus Busch Mausoleum is perhaps the most famous Mausoleum in this astonishing Cemetery, also home to the grave of American Explorer William Clark (of Lewis & Clark Expedition) and many other 19th century titans of industry, prominent politicians, historical figures, Civil War soldiers, and ordinary people. Not bad for a cemetery that got its start when an 1849 cholera outbreak that killed 4000 people awakened the people of St Louis to the need or a large new cemetery well outside the City limits. Source: (
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From the Bellefontaine Cemetery website: (
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"Designed by architect Thomas P. Barnett, this elaborate Gothic Revival mausoleum was constructed in 1921 using unpolished red Missouri granite. The mausoleum has a gray-green slate roof topped with a copper spire, ornate finials, and engraved grape vines. The bronze doors are topped with hop flower embellishments. The structure features elaborate stained glass panels, and thus resembles a small church. The Latin inscription above the entrance reads, “Veni, Vidi, Vici,” which translates to, “I came, I saw, I conquered.”
Born in 1839 in Germany, Adolphus Busch was the co-founder of Anheuser-Busch Brewery. He joined the business after marrying Eberhard Anheuser’s daughter Lily, who is also laid to rest in the mausoleum."
He's the guy responsible for Budweiser beer, the most popular beer in America since the 1870s. (Blasterz are not fans - what's the old joke about American beer being like making love in a canoe? But we digress.)
The Adolphus Busch tomb is THE most famous Mausoleum in the cemetery. It is an early and fascinating stop on the official Bellefontaine Cemetery tour.