Mausoleums and Obelisks in Mount Moriah Cemetery

Mount Moriah Cemetery is an historic rural cemetery that spans the border between

Southwest Philadelphia Southwest Philadelphia (formerly Kingsessing Township) is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The section can be described as extending from the western side of the Schuylkill River to the city line, with the SEPTA. The nor ...

and Yeadon, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1855 and is the largest cemetery in Pennsylvania. It is 200 acres in size and contains 150,000 burials. It differed from Philadelphia's other rural cemeteries such as Laurel Hill Cemetery and the Woodlands Cemetery in that it was easily accessible by

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...

; allowed burials of African-Americans, Jews and Muslims; and catered to a more middle-class clientele. The cemetery is a part of the United States National Cemetery System dating back to the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

. It contains two military burial plots that are maintained by the

United States Department of Veteran Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...

. The Soldiers' Lot on the Philadelphia side of the cemetery contains 406 burials and the Naval Plot on the Yeadon side contains 2,400 burials. The cemetery closed its gates in April 2011 and had no owner when the last member of the board of directors died. It became wildly overgrown with vegetation, was a site for illegal dumping, and the buildings, graves and monuments fell into disrepair. A non-profit organization calle
The Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery
formed to clear overgrown brush, maintain graves, stabilize the crumbling gatehouse and raise money for a petition to place the cemetery on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. The Orphans Court of Philadelphia granted a second organization, the Mount Moriah Cemetery Preservation Corporation, a receivership in 2014. Old Tires and Headstones

Description

The cemetery originally occupied 54 acres but grew to approximately 200 acres, with some estimates as high as 380 acres, making it the largest cemetery in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia and Yeadon share almost equal shares of the cemetery with

Cobbs Creek Cobbs Creek is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of Darby Creek in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It forms an approximat ...

separating the two sides. After the construction of Cobbs Creek Parkway, the cemetery is slightly less than 160 acres. A Norman Castellated

brownstone Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material. Type ...

gatehouse designed by Stephen Decatur Button was built at the entrance on Islington Lane, today known as Kingsessing Avenue. A single gated arch was topped with an imposing statue of

Father Time Father Time is a personification of time. In recent centuries he is usually depicted as an elderly bearded man, sometimes with wings, dressed in a robe and carrying a scythe and an hourglass or other timekeeping device. As an image, "Father Ti ...

. The statue was purchased, removed from the gate and placed atop the grave of John H. Jones, the former president of the Mount Moriah Cemetery Company. The cemetery contains two separate military burial plots dating back to the

U.S. Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

that are maintained by the

Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

. The Naval Plot on the Yeadon side of the cemetery contains 2,400 graves of sailors who were treated at the Grays Ferry Avenue Naval Hospital. A smaller plot of 406 graves known as the Soldier's Rest is on the Philadelphia side of the cemetery. Mount Moriah contains veterans of the Revolutionary War through the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

and 22

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

awardees which may be the highest number of any private cemetery. There is one British Commonwealth war grave of a soldier of the

Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland. The regime ...

from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. One section of the cemetery, known as the Circle of St. John or Masons Circle, contains the Schnider monument, a 35-foot high corinthian column topped by the

Masonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

square and compasses dedicated to William B. Schnider, the Grand Tyler of Pennsylvania's Central Grand Lodge. The Circle of St

The size of the cemetery made it ideal for churches and fraternal organizations that wanted to purchase large plots for their members. The Free and Accepted Masons, Odd Fellows,

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was found ...

, Elks, Actors' Order of Friendship and American Mechanics all purchased large lots in the cemetery. Local private institutions such as the Presbyterian Home for Widows and Single Women and the Seaman's Church Institute were also purchasers of large lots.

History

Mount Moriah Cemetery was established by an act of the

Pennsylvania Legislature The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvani ...

and incorporated on March 27, 1855. The cemetery was expanded to approximately 380 acres, spanning

into the Borough of Yeadon in adjacent Delaware County, making it the largest cemetery in Pennsylvania. Betsy Ross burial site in Mount Moriah Cemetery

Betsy Ross burial site in Mount Moriah Cemetery

In 1856, the remains of

Betsy Ross Elizabeth Griscom Ross (née Griscom;Addie Guthrie Weaver, ''"The Story of Our Flag..."'', 2nd Edition, A. G. Weaver, publ., 1898, p. 73 January 1, 1752 – January 30, 1836), also known by her second and third married names, Ashburn an ...

and her third husband John Claypoole were moved from the Free Quaker Burying Ground in Philadelphia to Mount Moriah. The practice of cemeteries purchasing the remains of famous historical individuals was common in order to drive additional business. The

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

erected a flagpole at the site of her grave in her memory. Mt Moriah Philly Civil War graves

Mount Moriah is a part of the United States National Cemetery System. See p. 233. In 1864, the United States Federal Government purchased two parcels of land within Mount Moriah Cemetery. The Soldiers' Lot on the Philadelphia side of the cemetery was purchased for soldiers who died at local military hospitals and contains 404

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

soldiers. The lot initially included the remains of six Confederate soldiers, however in 1885 all but two were reinterred at

Philadelphia National Cemetery Philadelphia National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the West Oak Lane neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1862 as nine leased lots in seven private cemeteries in the Philadelphia region. ...

. The Naval Plot on the Yeadon side of the cemetery is ten acres in size and was purchased for the reinterment of bodies previously buried at the U.S. Naval Home. The Naval Plot today contains 2,400 U.S. Navy officers and seaman. In the early 1870s, Henry Jones, an affluent African-American man who worked as a caterer, purchased a lot for burial in Mount Moriah Cemetery. After his death in 1875, his funeral procession was blocked from entering the cemetery by white lot owners and cemetery authorities who refused to bury him because of his race. A lawsuit was filed against the Mount Moriah Cemetery Association and in 1876 the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that Jones had the right to be buried in the cemetery. During the court case, his body was stored at a funeral vault at

Lebanon Cemetery Lebanon Cemetery was an African-American cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania established in 1849. It was one of only two private African-American cemeteries in Philadelphia at the time. Lebanon Cemetery was condemned in 1899. The bodies were r ...

in Philadelphia. Jones' family had decided to bury him at Lebanon Cemetery but he may have been buried at the Church of St. James the Less cemetery in Philadelphia instead. In the 1930s, the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

program performed work at Mount Moriah Cemetery to improve the drainage system throughout the cemetery. Soldiers Home Memorial in Laurel Hill Cemetery

Soldiers Home Memorial in Laurel Hill Cemetery

In 1970, a 700-pound, 7 foot 2 inch high bronze statue of a Civil War soldier was removed from its base and stolen by thieves. The statue was named "The Silent Sentry", cast at the

Bureau Brothers Foundry Bureau Brothers Foundry was a foundry established by two French immigrants, Achille and Edouard Bureau, in Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in ...

and dedicated in 1883. It was originally placed in the Soldiers' Home of Philadelphia burial plot. The thieves attempted to sell the statue for scrap metal to a Camden, New Jersey scrap yard but the scrap dealer notified the authorities. It was recovered and repaired by the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

. In 2013, the statue was relocated and rededicated in Laurel Hill Cemetery. In December 1975, Betsy Ross' descendants petitioned to have her remains moved to the Betsy Ross House. The headstone at her grave had been stolen years before. A physical anthropologist, Dr. Alan Mann, moved some bones in 1976 from the estimated vicinity of her grave but was unable to determine whether they belonged to Ross or not. Horatio Jones, the last known member of the Mount Moriah Cemetery Association, died in 2004 and the cemetery closed its gates in 2011 in a unique legal situation having no known owner. In 2012, due to complaints and reports of the deteriorating situation, Philadelphia and Yeadon formed the Mount Moriah Cemetery Preservation Corporation, a 7-member board charged with building a redevelopment plan for the cemetery. In 2014, Philadelphia Orphan's Court appointed Mount Moriah Cemetery Preservation Corporation as receiver for the long neglected cemetery. The Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery, Inc., a non-profit organization, held regular restoration events and progress was made to return the cemetery to normal condition. Expected annual maintenance costs are about $500,000. In February 2015, the

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage. The commission cares fo ...

announced that the cemetery was eligible to be listed on the

, subject to review by the NRHP. The Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery began a campaign to raise funds to stabilize the crumbling gatehouse. In January 2019, the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery presented their strategic plan to the Philadelphia City Planning Commission to convert Mount Moriah Cemetery into a nature sanctuary similar to the nearby

Bartram's Garden Bartram's Garden is a 50-acre public garden and National Historic Landmark in Southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, situated on the banks of the Tidal Schuylkill River. It is a venue for art, an access to the tidal river and wetlands, an outdoor ...

and John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. Paulette Rhone, the president of the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery, died in February 2019. The Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery have petitioned the Orphan's Court to allow her burial to be the first in the cemetery since it closed in 2011. Her efforts on behalf of the cemetery and the community were honored in August 2019 by symbolically renaming the section of Kingsessing Avenue in front of the cemetery "Paulette Rhone Place."

Notable burials

* Edwin Adams (1834–1877), stage actor * Charles Baker (1809–1891),

recipient * Albert Beyer (1859–1929), Medal of Honor recipient * Annie Kemp Bowler (? - 1876), stage actress and singer * Augustus C. Buell (1847–1904), fraudulent author * Richard Risley Carlisle (1814-1874), gymnast and acrobat * George Connell (1871–1955), mayor of Philadelphia * William Cusick aka Mickey Duffy (1888-1931), prohibition era mobster * George Deary (1845–1901), Medal of Honor recipient *

John Deasley John Deasley (1864–1910) was a professional baseball player. In 1884, he saw action in 44 games for the Washington Nationals and Kansas City Cowboys of the Union Association. He hit just .207 that season and never played in a real major leagu ...

(1864-1910), professional baseball player * Pat Deasley (1857–1943), professional baseball player * George B. Dovey (d. 1909), president and owner of the

Boston Doves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During ...

National League Baseball Club *

Israel Wilson Durham Israel Wilson Durham (24 October 1855 – 28 June 1909) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 6th district from 1897 to 1898 and the 2nd district from 1898 to 1899. H ...

(1855–1909), state senator, owner of the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

baseball team *

Jesse Elliott Jesse Duncan Elliott (14 July 1782 – 10 December 1845) was a United States naval officer and commander of American naval forces in Lake Erie during the War of 1812, especially noted for his controversial actions during the Battle of Lake Erie. ...

(1782–1845), naval commander in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

Mount Moriah Cemetery Naval Plot
National Cemetery Administration *

George Ewell George W. Ewell (October 29, 1850 – October 20, 1910) was an American professional baseball player. He appeared in one game for the Cleveland Forest Citys in . Ewell was born and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, ofte ...

(1850–1910), American professional baseball player. * George N. Galloway (1841–1904), Medal of Honor recipient * John Galloway (d. 1904), Medal of Honor recipient * John C. Grady (1847-1916), Pennsylvania State Senator for the 7th district from 1877 to 1903 * Bill Greenwood (1857–1902), baseball player * Daniel McBride Graham, abolitionist, inventor, first president of

Hillsdale College Hillsdale College is a Private university, private Conservatism in the United States, conservative Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan. It was founded in 1844 by Abolitionism, abolitionists known as Free Will Baptists. Its missio ...

* A. O. Granger (Arthur Otis Granger; 1846–1914), American industrialist and soldier * Robert Heller (born William Henry Palmer, 1826–1878), magician * Robert Jordan (1826–1881), Medal of Honor recipient * Joseph Killackey (1879–1946), Medal of Honor recipient * Thomas Kittera (1789-1839), U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania * John Laverty (1842–1903), double Medal of Honor recipient *

Nicholas Lear Nicholas Lear (1826 – July 4, 1902) was a Quartermaster in the Union Navy and a Medal of Honor recipient for his actions in the American Civil War. Lear enlisted for a three-year term in the US Navy in August 1862, and was assigned to the Un ...

(1826–1902), Medal of Honor recipient * Art Loudell (1882-1961), professional baseball player * Benjamin Loxley (1720-1801), Philadelphia master-builder and carpenter-architect * Thomas G. Lyons (1838–1904), Medal of Honor recipient * James Martin, II (1826–1895), Medal of Honor recipient * Sylvester H. Martin (1841–1927), Medal of Honor recipient * William McCandless (1834–1884), Civil War Union Army officer *

Matthew McClelland Matthew McClelland (November 1832 – January 30, 1883) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration the Medal of Honor for his actions in the American Civil War. Military service Matthew Mc ...

(1832-1883), Medal of Honor recipient *

John Edward McCullough John Edward McCullough (November 2, 1832 – November 8, 1885) was an Irish-born American actor. Biography John Edward McCullough was born in Coleraine, Ireland (today part of Northern Ireland). He went to America at the age of 16, and made h ...

(1832–1885), Shakespearean tragic actor *

Samuel Miles Samuel Miles (March 11, 1740 – December 29, 1805) was an American military officer and politician, as well as an influential businessman and politician, active in Pennsylvania before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. Milita ...

(1739-1805), French & Indian War officer, Revolutionary War officer, Philadelphia civic activist, 1st Troop Captain (1786-1791), Mayor (1790-1791), and nation's first faithless elector, presidential election, 1796. * John "Jocko" Milligan (1861–1923), baseball player * Moses Orr (1840–1897), Medal of Honor recipient * Michael Owens (1837–1890), Medal of Honor recipient *

(1752-1836), Upholsterer credited with making the first American flag * Henry Shutes (1804-1889), Medal of Honor recipient * Joseph Hill Sinex (1819-1892), Pennsylvania State Representative, Civil War Union Officer * Samuel Sloan (1815–1884), architect * John Smith (1826-1907), Medal of Honor recipient *

William Burns Smith William Burns Smith (November 11, 1844 – November 23, 1917) was an American politician. He was the 74th Mayor of Philadelphia, serving from 1884 to 1887. He was a member of the Republican Party. Life Smith was born in Glasgow on November 11, ...

, (1844-1917), Mayor of Philadelphia 1884–1887 *

John Murray Spear John Murray Spear (September 16, 1804 – October 5, 1887) was an American Spiritualist minister who was most known for his attempts to construct an electrically powered Messiah which he referred to as the "New Motive Power". Early life Spea ...

(1804-1887), Spiritualist clergyman * Thomas H. Stockton (1808–1868) Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives * August P. Teytand (1878–1956), Medal of Honor recipient * William Thompson (d. 1872), Medal of Honor recipient * Alexander H. Truett (1833–1898), Medal of Honor recipient * John Whitehead (1948–2004), singer, songwriter *

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review '' WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

(1828-1866), Medal of Honor recipient * Francis A. Wilson (1840–1888), Medal of Honor recipient * Robert E. Winslow (1829–1893), Civil War Union Army officerRobert Emmet Winslow
FOMMCI * John Russell Young (1840–1899), journalist, diplomat, and

Librarian of Congress The Librarian of Congress is the head of the Library of Congress, appointed by the president of the United States with the advice and consent of the United States Senate, for a term of ten years. In addition to overseeing the library, the Libra ...

References

Citations Sources * *

External links

Documentary Short Film: Mount MoriahFriends of Mount Moriah Cemetery
* * *{{HALS , survey=PA-4-B , id=pa4017 , title=Mount Moriah Cemetery, Mt. Moriah Naval Lot , link=no
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Philadelphia (Mount Moriah) Cemetery
1855 establishments in Pennsylvania Cemeteries in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Cemeteries in Philadelphia

Mount Moriah Moriah is a mountain identified in the Book of Genesis; believed in Judaism, Christianity and Islam to be associated with the sacrifice of Abraham's son. It may also be the Temple Mount. Moriah may also refer to: Places In Australia: *Moriah Colle ...

Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in the United States Historic American Landscapes Survey in Pennsylvania Historic American Buildings Survey in Philadelphia Rural cemeteries Southwest Philadelphia United States national cemeteries

Description

History

Notable burials

See also

References

External links