Abandoned and forgotten cemeteries of Philadelphia and its environs / Ed Snyder.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Snyder, Ed.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cemeteries--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia.

Cemeteries.

Physical Description:

96 pages : color illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

[Place of publication not identified] : America Through Time, 2025.

Summary:

"Since its inception, Philadelphia has created spaces for its dead. Some still exist, but many are gone or have been neglected and teeter on the edge of oblivion. Between 1850 and 1950, cemeteries across the nation disappeared as cities grew--developers wanted the land. Accompanied by Snyder's photographs, the reader is taken through Philadelphia and surrounding areas, examining cemeteries of all sizes and eras--many that were destroyed in the name of progress. Ben Franklin said, "Show me your cemeteries and I will tell you what kind of people you have." In this book we see Philadelphia cemeteries that have fallen on hard times, properties that failed to provide the "perpetual care" they promised. We visit a graveyard under a playground, tombstones in the Delaware River, and an abandoned burial ground in the woods. While many of these accounts make us question our ancestors' motives, some recent examples provide hope. In some cases, volunteers stabilize faltering properties, restore them, and sometimes even turn them back into active cemeteries. Ben Franklin would have been proud"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Why and how are cemeteries abandoned?

City v. rural cemeteries and the demise of Lafayette Cemetery

The watery remains of Monument Cemetery

Genealogical challenges

The surprise below

Mount Moriah Cemetery : a resurrection

The cemetery business model, old and new

Mount Vernon Cemetery and Har Hasetim Cemetery

Conclusion: Volunteerism and respect for the past.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Gemmill fund bookplate.

ISBN:

1634995236

9781634995238

OCLC:

1482016939