Chapel Hill Cemetery

Yep, I'm at it again. Hanging out in cemeteries. Call it creepy if you want, but I enjoy it. Plus, I've always found cemeteries to be intriguing subjects when it comes to photography...and snappin' pics is very much my thing. This time we spent a little time at Chapel Hill Cemetery in Centennial. It doesn't have quite the history of some of the older cemeteries we've visited, but it's a nice place to visit, nonetheless.

The cemetery sits on 75 acres nestled in a residential area. Supposedly, it is at the highest point in Arapahoe County. As it is a newer cemetery, most of the markers are at ground level, so there aren't as many impressive headstones to be found here. Still, there are a few unique sites, as well as an impressive veterans memorial.

One of the most notable features of Chapel Hill, though, is a memorial to the victims of the shootings at Columbine High School in nearby Littleton. This is one of at least two Columbine memorials I know of in the south metro area. This one exists on private property, but there is also one on public property in Clement Park, just adjacent to the school itself. 

At the time of the incident in April of 1999, there was no such place as the city of Centennial. The area where Chapel Hill sits was an unincorporated area that most residents referred to as being part of Littleton. Centennial didn't come into existence until early 2001. So while this memorial is not in Littleton itself, it makes sense to have it in this location. The memorial consists of thirteen black granite crosses, one for each of the victims. Their names and pictures appear on each marker. The memorial is easy to spot as it is just a few yards in from the main entrance of the grounds.

Chapel Hill Cemetery is located at 6601 South Colorado Blvd in Centennial, though the main entrance is actually off Caley Ave.