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In Glendale, California's Forest Lawn Memorial Park, there are plaques scattered throughout

that detail its creator's vision.

When Dr. Hubert Eaton took over the 300 acres, or 170 hectares, in 1917, he installed a massive

stone tablet engraved with what he called the builder's dream and the builder's creed.

It speaks of a quote,

a great park devoid of misshapen monuments and other signs of earthly death,

but filled with towering trees, sweeping lawns, splashing fountains, beautiful statuary,

and memorial architecture.

The plaques are all signed, The Builder.

Before the article this episode is based on, How Stuff Works spoke with James Fishburn,

Ph.D., director of the Forest Lawn Museum. He said, that's how we refer to Eaton,

The Builder. It's very grand. You get that grand sense when you visit. There are rolling hills, studying landscapes, mountain views, and you can see the ocean in the distance. And then the art collection is also very grand.

A forest lawn is a cemetery, but it's not like any burial place before it. While more than

300,000 people are buried there, including some of America's most famous names, it also boasts gardens,

churches, a huge mausoleum, and an art museum. It's lively enough that over 60,000 people have actually

gotten married there. Fishburn said it was designed, quote, so it didn't feel like a place

of death and decay, but rather a celebration of life, a place you would want to visit.

Today, there are six Forest Lawn Memorial Park locations in Southern California,

but the original is in Glendale. From the beginning, the art has been a major draw.

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