Charlie Houck was killed by a lion — help restore his headstone at Elmwood Cemetery

Historic Elmwood/Pinewood Cemetery, at 700 West 6th Street, is an invaluable historical resource. The headstones tell the stories of generations of Charlotte residents.

Keeping the headstones in good repair is a costly endeavor, and this is something the Charlotte community can help with. Historic Elmwood/Pinewood has a donation page on which you can contribute to the repair of and/or cleaning of the monument of your choice.

You might be interested in this photo guide to Charlotte’s historic cemeteries, including Elmwood/Pinewood!

One such headstone is that of Charlie Houck, who was killed by a lion on January 9th, 1930. It’s an unusual story (not to be confused with the story of John King, who was crushed by an elephant in 1880, and is also buried in Elmwood.)

The headstone has been broken into a few pieces and knocked off its base.

Jason Tapp (aka Spooky CLT), who is dedicated to the spooky side of Charlotte’s history, is spearheading the fundraising for the restoration of Charlie Houck’s headstone. Read about Charlie Houck on Spookyclt.com, and then head to Elmwood/Pinewood’s donation page to donate to restore this headstone or another one of your choice!

On April 6, 2024, make sure to head to Historic Elmwood/Pinewood Cemetery for Voices from the Past, a living history event in which costumed interpreters will tell the stories of some of the people buried in the cemetery. Jason will be depicting Charlie Houck, so this will be a chance to learn more about his life.

Follow @spookyCLT on Instagram to follow this and other projects, and follow @elmwoodpinewoodclt to learn about the history and future of the cemetery.

 

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