The Beehive Tombstone (aka The Grimm Grave Marker)

Near the center of a small church cemetery approximately 2 miles east of Jefferson, Wisconsin, on Highway 18 stands a stone obelisk atop a base with several carvings on its faces. The most prominent and eye-catching of the engravings is a large straw beehive with a detailed honeycomb inside, encircled by the German phrase Das kostlichste seines lebens war muhe und arbeit, roughly translating to “the most precious thing in his life was effort and work.”

The memorial is the grave marker for Adam Grimm, the father of American beekeeping, and his wife Anna. Adam and Anna moved to Jefferson, Wisconsin from Bavaria, Germany, after their marriage in 1849. They lived a rough pioneer lifestyle until 1867, when Adam decided to import hundreds of Italian queen bees in an attempt to farm for honey instead of hunt for honey. Not long after, the Italian bees crossbred with the native black bees, creating the hybrid species commonly seen across the United States today.

Adam sold many swarms of bees throughout the country — including 365 swarms to Utah in 1871, 25 years prior to it becoming the “Beehive State” in 1896 — for the remainder of his life, effectively making Jefferson the birthplace of the American honeybee industry.