Mikveh Israel Cemetery

Mikveh Israel Cemetery is the oldest Jewish cemetary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The cemetary is not too large compared to your typical cemetary. The whole premises is less than 0.2 acres in size. The cemetary is a registerd historic site in Philadelphia and also a national historic site dubbed by the Independence National Historic Park. The cemetary is located in center city about four blocks south of Independence Hall.



The cemetary has a very interesting history. It was previously a burial ground for pirates and the family of Nathan Levy. It is said that Levy's ship, The Myrtilla, was responsible for transporting the Liberty Bell from England to Philadelphia! Unfortunately, in 1738, one of Levy's children died of illness. Instead of burying his child in unsanctified ground he asked John Penn, who was cheif of Pennsylvania's propriety government at the time, for a small piece of land with the intention of making it a family cemetary.



The leaders of Mikveh Israel and their family members were eventually buried in the cemetery very close to Spruce Street. Nathan Levy's tomb which has dated to 1753, bears the oldest readable writing on a tombstone in the cemetery. The dates and the names which are barely readable on the weathered old tombstones add dimensions to the story of the emerging American nation.



In July 1953, an Ordinance came about in the City Council of Philadelphia. This ordinance was aimed at establishing the Mikveh Israel Cemetery as a historic shrine. Since 1956, Mikveh Israel Cemetery has been a National Historic Shrine. The late congressman James Byrnes introduced in the House of Representatives a bill to make the Spruce Street Cemetery and Christ Church, located at Second and Market Streets, national historic sites. This is where Washington had worshipped. On July 23, 1956 the House passed the bill.



Website Used for Information:
Milgrim, S. (2004, August 14). Mikveh israel cemetery. Retrieved from http://www.ushistory.org/mikvehisrael/index.htm

Photos taken by:
Gj Scott

Cedar Hill Cemetery

Cedar Hill was established in 1850 on March 25th. It is located in the Frankford neighborhood, which is in the lower Northeast section of the city and was founded in 1684 by German settlers.

Cedar Hill is a sprawling cemetery that has five notable people buried on its grounds.

The first of these is Alexander Crawford. Born in 1842, he was a sailor on the USS Wyalusing during the United States Civil War. He was awarded a medal of honor for his heroics and was buried at Cedar Hill in 1886. Second, is William Walker Foulkrod. Walker was born in Philadelphia in 1846 and rose to prominence as a U.S. Representative from the Pennsylvania 5th district. He died in office in 1910 and was then buried at Cedar Hill.

George Shoch is the third. He was born in 1859 and was a utility player for the Washington Nationals from 1886 to 1889. He also played for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1891, the Baltimore Orioles in 1892 and the Brooklyn Grooms/Bridegrooms from 1893 to 1897. He died at the age of 78 and was buried at Cedar Hill in 1937. John Paul Verree is the fourth notable person and the second politician who now resides at Cedar Hill. Born in 1817 he was a U.S. Representative from the Pennsylvania 3rd district from 1859 to 1863. He died in 1889 and was then buried at Cedar Hill.
The fifth, and final, person of note buried at Cedar Hill is Sam White. He was a Major League Baseball play born in 1893. He played in only one game for the Boston Braves during the 1919 season. He died in 1929 and now rests at Cedar Hill.The cemetery has the option of listening to an audio historical guide at points throughout the grounds. Cedar Hill Cemetery is an interesting and unique asset to North Philadelphia.

Pictures by: Gj Scott and Sarah Virnig
Citations:

Author, Kestenbaum, Lawrence. (24 March 2009). “The Political Graveyard”. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/PA/PH5.html

Author, Sports Reference LLC. (2009). “Samuel Lambeth White”. Retrieved from http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/whitesa01.shtml?redir

Author, Sports Reference LLC. (2009). “George Shoch”. Retrieved from http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/shochge01.shtml

Author, Morfe, Don. (27 Feb 2003). “Alexander Crawford” Retrieved from http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7217945

Laurel Hill Cemetery

Laurel Hill Cemetery was established in 1836. The cemetery was founded by John Jay Smith and his partners, Nathan Dunn, Benjamin W. Richards and Frederick Brown. Laurel Hill is not just a cemetery; it is a 78 acre land that consist of art, sculptures and history. In 1998, Laurel Hill was given the honor of becoming a historical land mark.

Due to industrialization and increase in population, the cities cemetery was becoming crowded and unsanitary. Smith and his partners were unhappy and wanted to build a cemetery beyong the cities limit. They wanted to establish a cemetery were they don't hold any religious affiliation. They also wanted to establish a scenic view that would incorporate art and nature into the visitors experience.

The scenic view and the atmosphere is a big part of the cemetery. In the early days, many of the visitors would travel using a steamboat to have picnics, walks and carriage rides with their loved ones. It has decrease throughout time but, to this day, many people still visit the cemetery to have picnics, as well as to exercise and to enjoy the sights.

Other than the scenic view, one of the most interesting fact about this cemetery is that there are many historic people who are buried here; which includes some local deceased, such as Rittenhouse, Widener, Elkins and the Strawbridge's. Passengers of the Titanic and civil war generals are also buried in Laurel Hill as well. Another interesting tidbit is that Edgar Allen Poe established residence about the same time when Laurel Hill was completely built and opened. Many people have speculations that Poe used this cemetery for inspiration while writing his stories.

Laurel Hill Cemetery does not have an entry fee. It is free for all visitors and guest are encouraged to visit this burial ground for educational purposes or for sightseeing. If visitors wish to, they can sign up for a private or a monthly tour. Visitors also have the option of using their cell phones as an audio tour.

Pictures taken by : Gj Scott and Sarah Virnig
Information from: www.thelaurelhillcemetery.org/index.php?flash=1

Fair Hil Burial Ground

Fair Hill Burial Ground is a beautiful five acre cemetery that was founded in 1703 by George Fox. This piece of land was given to George Fox and the Quakers as a gift from their founder William Penn. Being that this cemetery as a strong history of Quaker roots, there are mainly only Quakers buried at this location.

The early Quakers buried here were very important people for their time period. Alot of the people buried here were activists, women's right supporters, abolotionists, and people who wanted to make America a better place to live. Some of the more famous people who have been buried at Fair Hill Burial Grounds includes: Lucretia Mott, James Mott, Thomas and Mary Ann McClintokm, Sarah Pugh, Ann Preston, and Edward Parrish.

There are a few exceptions to only Quakers being buried at this cemetery, for example supporters of the Underground Railroad and key leaders in this secret organization have been buried at this location. The most famous supporter of this movement to be buried here is Robert Purvis and his family who was the president of the Underground Railroad.

Now a days at Fair Hill Burial Grounds it is run by the Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting and is continuially being restored to its former beauty. There are various days throughout the year that are set aside by this group to get volunteers to come together and take care of the cemetery and restore its essence.

Citations

Moore, Pamela. "Fair Hill Burial Ground." Philadelphia Meeting Quarterly. 01 Feb 2007. Web. 23 Feb 2010. http://www.pym.org/philadelphia-qm/entities.html

"Fair Hill Burial Ground." NNDB. 2009. NNDB, Web. 23 Feb 2010. http://www.nndb.com/cemetery/641/000208017/

Christ Church Burial Ground

On the corner of 5th and Arch Street, you can find the burial ground of five signers of The Declaration of Independence, including Benjamin Franklin. This burial ground is operated by Christ Church and was established in 1719 after the graveyard next to the church became too full. It is still open to the public today, for a small fee as you can see on this sign.

This sign is located near the front of the burial ground. It asks visitors to please be respectful of the over 4000 people who are buried here. This grave site is nearly 300 years old, which shows how delicate the tombstones really are. Another interesting fact about this burial ground is that a grave digger, John Taylor, who worked here for 50 years, was buried here in 1803.

Benjamin Franklin is the most decorated person buried at Christ Church Burial Ground. He is buried along side his wife and amongst many of his other family members.

Here is Benjamin Franklin’s tomb stone. His descendants requested that an opening be placed in the brick wall surrounding the burial ground so that the public could see Franklin’s gravesite day and night. A metal fence was then installed in front of his grave so this could be possible. Visitors of this site throw pennies on his stone to show their respect and remember his motto of “A penny saved is a penny earned”.

At the end of the metal fence, on the corner of the brick wall next to Franklin's tombstone, this plaque is placed in dedication to Benjamin Franklin. It features quotes from George Washington and other famous people of their time who wanted to pay their respects to one of the most influential men of our nation.

This plaque is also located on the fence by Franklin’s grave. It gives visitors directions to Christ Church, which is the home church to most of the people buried here.

Here is a picture of some of the other grave markers and the brick wall that surrounds the burial ground. As you can see, these markers are very old and weathered. Sarah Knowles' marker is the oldest marker left standing; it was placed into the ground in 1721.

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