Greenwood Cemetery (Philadelphia)

Last updated
Greenwood (Knights of Pythias) Cemetery
GreenwoodSign.jpg
Greenwood Cemetery (Philadelphia)
Details
EstablishedDecember 9, 1869
Location
930 Adams Avenue
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Country United States
Coordinates 40°01′19″N75°05′49″W / 40.022°N 75.097°W / 40.022; -75.097
Typeprivate
Owned byGreenwood Holdings, LLC
Size43 acres (170,000 m2)
No. of graves20,000 [1]
Website Greenwood Cemetery
Find a Grave Greenwood (Knights of Pythias) Cemetery
DesignatedAugust 9, 2000 [2]

Greenwood (Knights of Pythias) Cemetery is a historic cemetery in the Frankford neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was established in 1869, is 43 acres in size and contains approximately 20,000 graves.

Contents

It was established by the Knights of Pythias to provide burials for their members. Over time, the cemetery suffered from abandonment and vandalism. The cemetery became a site for illegal dumping and the rear portion of the property became wildly overgrown. In August 2000, the cemetery was added to the list of Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.

The Friends of Greenwood Cemetery and Greenwood Holdings have been successful in cleaning up the cemetery and renovating the house on the property. In 2008, approximately 1,500 bodies were reinterred from the rear portion of the cemetery to a mass grave near the front of the property to allow construction of a parking lot for the adjacent Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

History

Greenwood Cemetery Greenwood Cemetery.jpg
Greenwood Cemetery

The cemetery was established on December 9, 1869 [1] on 43 acres (170,000 m2) on the estate of Commodore Stephen Decatur, Sr. known as "Mount Airy". The cemetery was founded by George Chandler Paul [3] of the fraternal organization, Knights of Pythias, for the interment of its members and others. [4] It was originally chartered as "The Greenwood Cemetery Company of Philadelphia", but the charter was changed to the "Knights of Pythias Greenwood Cemetery Company of Philadelphia" on March 18, 1870. [5]

Portions of the historic house at the entrance date back to 1750–1775. Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, lived on the farm in the late 18th century. In the early 19th century, a major addition to the house gave it the appearance of a vernacular federal structure. Recent evidence, however, dates the construction of the house to the 1830s or later. [6]

Greenwood Cemetery was modeled after cemetery designs created for the United States National Cemetery System established to bury soldiers from the American Civil War. [7] Designed by architect Thomas S. Levy, the plans for the cemetery were very grand with rolling hills, naturalistic plantings, pathways arranged in a spoke-and-circle pattern, an artificial lake and a large gatehouse. The gatehouse and lake were never realized. Behind the house is a receiving vault emblazoned with Knights of Pythias insignia and inscribed with a date of 1870.

The cemetery contains about 20,000 graves. [1] The oldest grave is unknown, as there were many burials before the cemetery was chartered in 1869, and early records have been lost, but it is believed that it holds the remains of veterans of the Revolutionary War.

Cemetery clean-up progress has been made, but many gravestones remain in an overgrown, wooded section of the Cemetery Gravestones in wooded section of Greenwood Cemetery.jpg
Cemetery clean-up progress has been made, but many gravestones remain in an overgrown, wooded section of the Cemetery

Over the years, the cemetery suffered from abandonment and vandalism. [8] Millions of tons of industrial waste were dumped at the cemetery which buried some plots under 20 feet of debris. Many of the graves were damaged by vandalism, the cemetery became littered with abandoned cars and the rear of the cemetery became overgrown and reverted to woods. [9] The Knights of Pythias attempted to have their name removed due to the poor condition of the cemetery but they were unsuccessful. [5]

On August 9, 2000, Greenwood was listed by the Philadelphia Historical Commission on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. [2] [10]

In 2000, the cemetery came under the management of Willow Ridge Ltd., a private company. There was considerable local controversy over the company's plan to raze the historic home and build new structures, including a funeral parlor and crematorium. In 2000, Philadelphia's Zoning Board of Adjustment granted permission for the funeral parlor and crematorium. Several local residents sued in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court to overturn the Board's decision. The court upheld the decision of the Board, and the residents appealed to Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court. On February 8, 2007, Commonwealth Court overturned the decision of the trial court. The cemetery owners then appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, but their appeal was denied on October 18, 2007.

The Friends of Greenwood Cemetery, a nonprofit organization established in 2003, dedicated to preserving the records, tombstones, and grounds of the cemetery, made some progress in cleaning it up, mowing the lawns and clearing some of the woods.

Veterans Memorial and memorial for the mass grave of 1,500 bodies moved for the Cancer Treatment Centers of America parking lot Veterans Memorial at Glenwood Cemetery.jpg
Veterans Memorial and memorial for the mass grave of 1,500 bodies moved for the Cancer Treatment Centers of America parking lot

In 2008, an adjacent hospital, Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) at Eastern Regional Medical Center, through their sister company Greenwood Holdings, paid $1.2 million for the nine acre property and acquired a majority share of the cemetery. Greenwood Holdings has begun revitalizing the cemetery. Headstones have been righted; abandoned cars and appliances have been removed. In addition, more than 1,500 graves were moved from a wooded section to allow for construction of a 200 space parking lot as part of CTCA's expansion. The cost of the reinterments totaled over $3 million. The bodies were reinterred in new concrete vaults and a new memorial was placed atop the mass grave. [9] More than $1 million has been spent on renovations of the historic house including restoration of the windows, floors, fireplaces, roofs, ceilings and walls. [11]

Notable interments

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 "Frequently Asked Questions". www.kpgreenwoodcemetery.org. Knights of Pythias Greenwood Cemetery. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Philadelphia Register of Historic Places (with OPA addresses)" (PDF). www.phila.gov. City of Philadelphia. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  3. Chandler, George (1883). The Chandler Family: The Descedents of William and Annis Chandler Who Settled in Roxbury, Mass. 1637. Worcester, Mass: Press of Charles Hamilton. p. 1176. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  4. History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, by John Thomas Scharf and Thompson Westcott, Published 1884, L. H. Everts & Co., Philadelphia, Pa.
  5. 1 2 "Knights of Pythias Greenwood Cemetery - History". www.kpgreenwoodcemetery.org. Knights of Pythias Greenwood Cemetery. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  6. "Knights of Pythias Greenwood Cemetery, Cemetery Head House, Assessment of Period of Significance", Ewing/Cole, Nov. 6, 2009 Archived 2010-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "1865-Present: Military Cemeteries". www.phmc.state.pa.us. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  8. Nepa, Stephen. "Cemeteries". www.philadelphiaencyclopedia.org. Rutgers University. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  9. 1 2 Wood, Sam. "Graves moved in Northeast cemetery to make way for parking lot". www.inquirer.com. Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  10. Greenwood Cemetery at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
  11. Tom Waring, "Greenwood Cemetery transforms into Rush Farm", Northeast Times, December 29, 2010.
  12. "George Creamer's Stats". retrosheet.org. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
  13. Thomas H. Keels, Philadelphia Graveyards and Cemeteries, Arcadia Publishing, 2003, ISBN   0-7385-1229-X, 128 pages.
  14. Medal of Honor citation for Thomas Francis Prendergast
  15. Ken Norman, "It’s only natural ..." Archived 2008-08-28 at the Wayback Machine , The Portia Project
  16. Woman charged with smothering 8 of her kids", CNN, August 6, 1998 Archived March 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allegheny Cemetery</span> United States historic place

Allegheny Cemetery is one of the largest and oldest burial grounds in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is a historic rural cemetery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philadelphia National Cemetery</span> Historic veterans cemetery in Pennsylvania

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. In 1881, the current location was established and the graves of soldiers were reinterred from the various leased lots. It is administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and managed from offices at Washington Crossing National Cemetery. It is 13 acres in size and contains 13,202 burials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Woodlands (Philadelphia)</span> Historic site in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

The Woodlands is a National Historic Landmark District on the west bank of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. It includes a Federal-style mansion, a matching carriage house and stable, and a garden landscape that in 1840 was transformed into a Victorian rural cemetery with an arboretum of over 1,000 trees. More than 30,000 people are buried at the cemetery. Among the tombstones at Woodlands cemetery is the tombstone of Dr Thomas W. Evans, which at 150 feet (46 m), is both the tallest gravestone in the United States and the tallest obelisk gravestone in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Moriah Cemetery (Philadelphia)</span> Historic cemetery in Philadelphia and Yeadon, Pennsylvania, US

Mount Moriah Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery that spans the border between Southwest Philadelphia 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; allowed burials of African-Americans, Jews and Muslims; and catered to a more middle-class clientele.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Creamer</span> American baseball player (1855–1886)

George W. Creamer, born George W. Triebel, was an American Major League Baseball second baseman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He played with four teams in two leagues: the Milwaukee Grays (1878), the Syracuse Stars (1879), the Worcester Ruby Legs (1880–1882), and the Pittsburgh Alleghenys (1883–1884).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Laurel Hill Cemetery</span> Historic cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, U.S.

West Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1869, is 200 acres in size and contains the burials of many notable people. It is affiliated with Laurel Hill Cemetery in neighboring Philadelphia. The cemetery property is an accredited arboretum and has an on-site funeral home and crematorium. The cemetery contains two Jewish burial sections and an environmentally friendly burial section. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

Thomas Francis Prendergast or Pendegrast was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his United States Marine Corps service in the Philippine–American War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of London Cemetery and Crematorium</span> Cemetery and crematorium in the north east of London, England

The City of London Cemetery and Crematorium is a cemetery and crematorium in the east of London. It is owned and operated by the City of London Corporation. It is designated Grade I on the Historic England National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eden Cemetery (Collingdale, Pennsylvania)</span> Cemetery in Collingdale, Pennsylvania

Eden Cemetery is a historic African-American cemetery located in Collingdale, Pennsylvania. It was established June 20, 1902, and is the oldest existing black owned cemetery in the United States. The cemetery covers about 53 acres and contains approximately 93,000 burials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odd Fellows Rest Cemetery</span> United States historic place

The Odd Fellows Rest Cemetery is located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Opened in 1849, Odd Fellow Rest Cemetery is one of a group of historic cemeteries in New Orleans. The cemetery features Renaissance architecture and Exotic Revival architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in May 1980. Odd Fellows Rest Cemetery is not open to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odd Fellows Cemetery (Philadelphia)</span> Cemetery in Pennsylvania, US

Odd Fellows Cemetery was a 32 acre cemetery located North and South of Diamond Street and between 22nd and 25th Street in the North Philadelphia West neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1849 by the Odd Fellows fraternal organization for the burial of their members. The eighty-one foot high, brown stone, Egyptian Revival gatehouse was designed by architects Stephen Decatur Button and Joseph C. Hoxie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenwood Memorial Gardens</span> Cemetery in Broomall, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Glenwood Memorial Gardens is a 70-acre lawn cemetery in Broomall, Pennsylvania. It was originally established in 1849 as a rural cemetery on 20 acres in North Philadelphia as Glenwood Cemetery. Over 700 Union and Confederate soldiers who died in local hospitals during the American Civil War were buried in Glenwood cemetery. The soldiers' remains were moved to the Philadelphia National Cemetery in 1891.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawnview Memorial Park</span> Cemetery in Rockledge, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Lawnview Memorial Park, also referred to as Lawnview Cemetery, is a cemetery located at 500 Huntingdon Pike in Rockledge, Pennsylvania. It is 82 acres (33 ha) in size and is managed by the Odd Fellows Cemetery Company of Philadelphia. It contains the reburial of tens of thousands of bodies from Monument Cemetery and the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Philadelphia after they were closed in the 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mt. Woods Cemetery</span> Jewish cemetery in West Virginia, USA

Mt. Woods Cemetery, also known as Mt. Wood Cemetery, Hebrew and Jewish Orthodox Cemetery and Eoff Street Temple Cemetery, is a historic rural cemetery located at Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monument Cemetery</span> Defunct cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US

Monument Cemetery was a rural cemetery located at the current day intersection of Broad and Berks Street in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1837 to 1956. It was the second rural cemetery in Philadelphia after Laurel Hill Cemetery. It was approximately 20 acres in size and contained 28,000 burials. It had a grand gothic gatehouse and a 67-foot high obelisk monument to George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette designed by John Sartain at the center of the cemetery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenwood/Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery</span> Cemetery in Phoenix, Arizona

Greenwood Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery is the official name given to a cemetery located at 2300 West Van Buren Street in Phoenix, Arizona owned by Dignity Memorial. The cemetery, which resulted as a merger of two historical cemeteries, Greenwood Memorial Park and Memory Lawn Memorial Park, is the final resting place of various notable former residents of Arizona. Pioneers, governors, congressman, government officials, journalists, race car drivers, soldiers, actors and actresses are among the many notable decedents who are interred in the cemetery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Evans Cemetery</span> Historic cemetery in Reading, Pennsylvania

Charles Evans Cemetery is an historic, nonsectarian, garden-style cemetery located in the city of Reading, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Charles Evans (1768-1847), a son of Quaker parents and native of Philadelphia who became a prominent attorney and philanthropist in Reading during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

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 reinterred in 1902 to Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Pennsylvania and the cemetery was closed in 1903.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Vernon Cemetery (Philadelphia)</span> Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mount Vernon Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at 3499 West Lehigh Avenue in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1856, is 27 acres in size and contains over 18,000 graves. It was neglected for decades by an absentee landlord. No plots have been sold since 1968, it was not open to the public, many graves fell into disrepair and the cemetery became heavily overgrown. In 2021, a Philadelphia judge ordered the cemetery be placed in conservatorship due to neglect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lafayette Cemetery</span> Defunct cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US

Lafayette Cemetery was a cemetery in the Passyunk Square neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1828 and originally intended for 14,000 burials but over time fell into disrepair and became overcrowded with 47,000 burials. In 1946, the cemetery was condemned by the city of Philadelphia. The bodies were disinterred in 1947, transported to the Evergreen Memorial Park in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, and reinterred in a mass grave.

References