Weiskittel-Roehle Burial Vault

The Weiskittel-Roehle Burial Vault is a family burial chamber made of cast iron and built into a hillside in Loudon Park Cemetery in Baltimore. The structure is painted gray to resemble stone masonry and features arched iron doors with plaques commemorating deceased family members.

Anton W. Weiskittel, a German immigrant and Baltimore iron founder who manufactured stoves during the Civil War, commissioned this vault before his death in 1884. The structure dates to a period when industrial manufacturing methods were increasingly applied to private commemorative architecture.

The vault reflects how prosperous business families in late 19th-century Baltimore chose to honor their dead and showcased their connection to industrial manufacturing. The structure stands as a personal statement of the owner's pride in his iron-working craft and social standing in the city.

The vault is located in Section P of Loudon Park Cemetery and is easy to spot by its distinctive arched iron doors. Visitors should stay on marked pathways when exploring the grounds and take time to read the memorial plaques attached to the entrance.

What sets this vault apart is that it was built entirely from cast iron manufactured directly at Weiskittel's own foundry. This was an unusual choice for a family memorial at a time when marble and granite were the standard materials for such structures.