Montgomery, Alabama: Hank Williams Astroturf Grave

A pleasing landscape, and easy eternal maintenance for the country music megastar.

I'm a lifetime resident of Montgomery and have been to Hank's grave many times myself out of curiosity.

One rather unusual tradition centers around local police. The Montgomery Police Department is directly across the street from Oakwood Cemetery and St. Margarets Cemetery (They are essentially the same place as you don't know where one ends and the other begins). The more rowdy members of the police department were known to go over and drink with Hank while occasionally letting off a few rounds out of respect. Hasn't been a done in quite a few years though. I know this happened, as my uncle -- a 3rd shift lieutenant -- used to attend these graveyard gatherings.

Watch for the sign near the road at the far end of the cemetery directing straight to Hank's grave, or you'll drive circles inside forever!

Midnight in Montgomery.... at the Astroturf Grave of Hank Williams.

Hank is buried next to his wife Audrey, horizontal grave markers and twin vertical monuments. Hank's monument has his top ten hits, including, ironically, "I'll Never Get Out of this World Alive."

While visiting the site, a local resident approached and offered many stories. One night, a couple of drunks attempted to remove the horizontal grave marker by wrapping a chain around it and pulling it off with a pickup truck. The attempt failed, and now the grave marker's corners have been cut off so that a chain cannot get a grip.

The local also told me that the cowboy hat at the base of the monument is really one of Hank's hats covered in granite (sort of like bronzing baby shoes!). There used to be granite cowboy boots at the site also, but they were stolen years ago, as were two marble vases. These incidents led to the placing of a marble marker on the site that reads, "Please do not desecrate this sacred spot. Many thanks. Hank Williams, Jr."