Grave of Stoneman Willie

Reading, Pennsylvania

There are many stories about the origin of Stoneman Willie. The most common was that he was a town drunk who hanged himself in his cell in 1895. At that time no one knew who he was, so the local undertaker embalmed Willie, thinking that the body would be ready if anyone claimed him. The undertaker, however, used an experimental fluid that turned Willie as hard as a rock. So the funeral home kept him -- for 128 years.

Generations of local kids would be allowed a peek at Willie, but outsiders were usually turned away (This kind of defeated the identification process). Willie's real name (James Murphy) was eventually verified, and he was buried with much hoopla on October 7, 2023. His black tombstone is engraved with both of his names.