While cycling in near Fairmont Park I passed by Laurel Hill Cemetery. The gates were open so I decided to take a little excursion. What I saw amazed me. It was like entering a giant gothic sculpture garden. Huge marble statues and house-sized mausoleums abound, with landscaped winding roads throughout. I always knew the cemetery was there, but I never realized it was so amazing. The cemetery also has a wonderful view of the Schuylkill River all the way to Manayunk. It is truly a magnificent necropolis. A city of the dead, to be enjoyed by the living. Well worth a visit.

They were especially designed with that in mind ...turn of
the last century people went on picnics and visited their
dearly departed all at once.

Joel

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I have always loved Laurel Hill Cemetery! There is a group called "Friends of Laurel Hill" that you can join - they offer tours, etc. My father has several paintings he did of angel headstones in that cemetery. It has been too long since I've been there...

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Life is a grindstone. Whether it grinds us down or polishes us up depends on us. -- T. L. Holdcroft

Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good person is like expecting an angry bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian.-- S. R. Barr

I've gone on a few Laurel Hill tours over the past years. The last time I went was close to Halloween last year. I took my 13 year old son who came along begrudgingly. He left LH that night and all he talked about was how "cool" the place was. Now his friends want me to take them this year. The volunteer staff who conduct the tours are well versed in the history of the cemetery not to mention the symbolism of practically every stone marker. The place even has a "Millionaires' Row" where families such as the Wideners, Elkins, etc. are buried. Some of their mausoleums are larger than most Philly houses.

I run through laurel Hill often.

Are there any guidebooks and when are the tours available?

(If you enjoy visiting cemeteries and are ever in Chicago, I would suggest a visit to Graceland. It features mausoleums designed by Louis Sullivan and Loredo Taft, among others.)

you should also check out the woodlands cemetary in university city (40th and woodland ave.)

Laurel Hill Cemetery (est. 1836)
3822 Ridge Avenue
Philadelphia PA 19132
(215) 228-8200
Call ahead for gate times
Group tours by appointment. Booklets are available for self-guided walking and driving tours.
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And as junebug suggested...

Friends of Laurel Hill
Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30am to 1:30pm, the Friends of Laurel Hill (215 228-8817) conducts tours of the cemetery, pointing out the more fantastic structures and whose bones are buried beneath.

http://philadelphia.citysearch.com/profile/8976867/

Thanks!

The Halloween tours are pretty cool. They added some actors over the past couple of years who will tell some of the tales of the folks buried there.

A good friend of mine is a tour guide and a "friend" of Laurel hill, so I get some perks, such as going there during winter nights when it snows. It is really beautiful to see it with a full moon and untouched snow every where.

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