James Lick’s Grave

James Lick was a 19th-century entrepreneur who owned many hotels, orchards, and other businesses in and around San Francisco. For much of his life he was not particularly generous, but this changed after he had a stroke and started to fund many charities. 

His dream was to have a large pyramid in the middle of the city where he could be entombed, but fortunately, he got talked out of that by his peers. Instead, Lick donated an astronomical $700,000 (roughly $25 million today) to build the world's most advanced observatory atop Mount Hamilton, about 70 miles (112 km) southeast of San Francisco. The Lick Observatory opened in 1888. It was the first observatory with permanent staff on the mountain. Many discoveries were made there, including several moons of Jupiter, as well as exoplanets. 

Lick himself supports these discoveries in a rather literal way, as his coffin was interred in the pillar on which the telescope stands. His gravestone is only visible from below the platform and rarely open to visitors.

One of Lick's stipulations was that his grave be marked with flowers, which is why a plastic bouquet can be found in front of the marker to this day.