Laurel Hill Cemetery

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Laurel Hill Cemetery
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Pennsylvania state historical marker
Warner 2 LH Philly.JPG
William Warner memorial sculpted by Alexander Milne Calder
Laurel Hill Cemetery is located in Pennsylvania Laurel Hill Cemetery
Location 3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 4000'14?N 7511'15?WCoordinates 4000'14?N 7511'15?W
Built 1836-1839[2]
Architect John Notman[2]
Architectural style Exotic Revival, Gothic, Classical Revival
NRHP reference # 77001185[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP October 28, 1977
Designated PHMC May 20, 2000[3]
Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it
was the second major garden or rural cemetery in the United States. In 1998, it was
designated a National Historic Landmark; few cemeteries have receive this
distinction.[4]

Located in Philadelphia's East Falls section, the 74-acre (300,000 m2) cemetery
overlooks the Schuylkill River. Laurel Hill contains more than 33,000 monuments and
more than 11,000 family lots. Its thousands of 19th- and 20th-century marble and
granite funerary monuments include obelisks and elaborately sculpted hillside tombs
and mausoleums.[5]

Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Notable burials
3 Fictional references
4 See also
5 Notes
6 References
7 External links
History[edit]

Old Mortality, his Pony, and Sir Walter Scott, near the main gate
The cemetery was founded in 1836 by John Jay Smith, a librarian and editor with
interests in horticulture and real estate who was distressed at the way his
deceased daughter was interred in a Philadelphia churchyard. He and other prominent
citizens decided to create a rural garden cemetery five miles north of
Philadelphia, a location that was viewed as a haven from urban expansion and a
respite from the increasingly industrialized city center. The property was acquired
from businessman Joseph Sims.[2]

Designed by Scottish-American architect John Notman,[2] Laurel Hill introduced new

landscape ideas and burial concepts and became a model for the rural cemetery
movement. The cemetery was developed and completed between 1836 and 1839.[2] To
increase its cachet, the cemetery's organizers had the remains of several famous
Revolutionary War figures moved there, including Continental Congress secretary
Charles Thomson; Declaration of Independence signer Thomas McKean; Philadelphia war
veteran and shipbuilder Jehu Eyre; Hugh Mercer, hero of the Battle of Princeton;
and David Rittenhouse, first director of the U.S. Mint.

During and after the American Civil War, Laurel Hill became the final resting place
of hundreds of military figures, including 42 Civil War-era generals. Laurel Hill
also became the favored burial place for many of Philadelphia's most prominent
political and business figures, including Matthias W. Baldwin, founder of the
Baldwin Locomotive Works; Henry Disston, owner of the largest saw factory in the
world (the Disston Saw Works); and financier Peter A. B. Widener.

Mother and Twins Monument

The city later grew past Laurel Hill, but the cemetery retained its rural
character.

The sculpture Aspiration by Harriet Whitney Frishmuth and the Berwind tomb
From its inception, Laurel Hill was intended as a civic institution designed for
public use. In an era before public parks and museums, it was a multi-purpose
cultural attraction where the general public could experience the art and
refinement previously known only to the wealthy. Classical Revival, Gothic Revival,
Egyptian Revival and other exotic styles are rendered in a wide palette of
materials, including marble, granite, cast-iron and sandstone. Notable artists and
architects, including Notman, Alexander Milne Calder and William Strickland
contributed their designs. Laurel Hill became an immensely popular destination in
its early years and required tickets for admission. Writer Andrew Jackson Downing
reported nearly 30,000 personsentered the gates between April and December,
1848.

In 1978, the Friends of Laurel Hill Cemetery, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization,

was founded to support the cemetery. The mission of the Friends is to assist the
Laurel Hill Cemetery Company in preserving and promoting the historical character
of Laurel Hill. The Friends raise funds and seek contributed services; prepare
educational and research materials emphasizing the historical, architectural and
cultural importance of Laurel Hill Cemetery; and provide tour guides to educate the
public.

In the 21st century, two pairs of seats from Veterans Stadium were installed at the
grave of Harry Kalas, the Frick Award-winning announcer for the Philadelphia
Phillies, so they could be used by fans paying their respects.

Today, Laurel Hill Cemetery stands as a rich repository of both art and historical
artifacts. Its monuments embody the rich design, craftsmanship and iconography of
19th and 20th century American funerary art, from simple obelisks to elaborate
mausoleums.[citation needed]

Notable burials[edit]

Gatehouse built in 1835

Isaac Hull

Henry Charles Lea

General George Meade

William J. Mullen Tomb (1881) by Daniel Kornbau (incorrectly reported as E. Kornbau

in some references).[6]

Francis E. Patterson

Jacob Lukens

Owen Wister
Burials in the cemetery include

Robert Adams, Jr. (18491906), U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania[7]

Hilary Baker (17461798), mayor of Philadelphia[7]
Matthias W. Baldwin (17951866), businessman, Baldwin Locomotive Works[7]
Alexander Biddle (18191899), U.S. army officer[7]
Robert Montgomery Bird (18031854), American novelist, playwright, and physician[7]
David Bispham (18571921), opera singer[7]
Charles E. Bohlen (19041974), U.S. diplomat[7]
Henry Bohlen (18101862), Civil War Union Brigadier General[7]
George Henry Boker (18231890), poet, playwright, and diplomat[7]