Mausoleum of VP William Rufus King.

Second Tomb of VP William Rufus King

William Rufus King (1786-1853) grew increasingly ill after he'd been nominated as Franklin Pierce's Vice President. By election day he was very sick, and by the day he was sworn in he could barely stand. Less than a month later he was dead, his body interred in a mausoleum on his plantation south of Selma, Alabama.

However, King was far more famous as one of Selma's founders (he reportedly came up with the name) than as VP, and 29 years after his death his body was removed and buried underneath a mausoleum in town (the burial discouraged any further relocations). Accounts vary, but all agree that members of the King family were not pleased, and some say that the mayor and a local undertaker did the deed under cover of darkness.

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Second Tomb of VP William Rufus King

Live Oak Cemetery

Address:: 300 Dallas Ave., Selma, AL
Directions:: From Dallas Ave., just east of King St., turn south into Live Oak Cemetery. Drive straight in. You'll quickly see a historical marker on the right, in front of the tomb.
Hours:: Gated after hours. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:: 334-874-2161

Nearby Offbeat Places

Cross Garden: Hell's Warning Label, Prattville, AL - 31 mi.

Wilderness Park: USA's Vietnam, Prattville, AL - 33 mi.

Strange Domed Mini-Building, Prattville, AL - 36 mi.

In the region:

Rooftop Sarcophagus of Steiner and Lobman, Montgomery, AL - 42 mi.

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