Baltimore’s 65 acre Green Mount Cemetery seemed perfect for my morning constitutional, but the inscriptions so hobbled my pace, I could hardly claim any physical exercise. Every tombstone offered a glimpse of a story that left me wondering over the rest.
Johns Hopkins loved his cousin, but couldn’t marry her because they were Quakers. Instead they married no one and joined in a lifetime platonic partnership. With no heirs, the successful J. Hopkins designated his entire fortune to found Johns Hopkins University and Hospital. Every year the University sends a celebratory contingent to Hopkins’ grave at Green Mount Cemetery to honor his memory. So while a different Green Mount memorial promises eternal life through the memories of loved ones, Hopkins had better success by leaving no one.