PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

On a small, quiet hillside in Allegheny Cemetery, something aquatic is lurking.

The sprawling resting place is no stranger to wildlife; you’ll find plenty of geese, deer and rabbits among its 300 acres. But these woodland creatures aren’t expecting what waits in Section 26, Lot 65: a great white shark.

The tombstone of Lester C. Madden, who died in 1983, is carved in the shape of a shark’s head, mouth agape, teeth flashing, lunging upward. It’s not just any old carcharodon carcharias, either; this image comes from the poster for “Jaws,” depicting the silver-screen shark swimming toward his first victim.

Allegheny Cemetery’s self-guided tour brochure includes the “Great White Shark Monument” in its “Historic Features & Notables” section, explaining that Madden “saw ‘Jaws’ 16 times” — and listing him alongside others buried on the property such as Josh Gibson, Stanley Turrentine and Stephen Foster.

The headstone is frequently pictured on “Jaws” fan sites and lists of remarkable memorials; the oddity archive Atlas Obscura explains that Madden, a Korean War veteran, “loved the movie ‘Jaws’ so much that … he wanted to spend the rest of time buried under its iconic great white shark.” Now that’s being a movie fan: You may love “Star Wars,” but unless you’re buried underneath a stone Wookiee, you’re no Lester C. Madden.

Find It!
CENTRAL LAWRENCEVILLE: Allegheny Cemetery, Section 26 (search for “Shark Stone” on Google Maps)