A Garden For The Dead

After John Jay Smith could not find his daughter's grave in an overcrowded churchyard in Center City, he became determined to create a rural cemetery. Founded in 1836, Laurel Hill Cemetery was designed from the start to be different: outside the city, beautifully landscaped, and without religious affiliation. It was intended as a peaceful place for the dead to rest and for the living to enjoy. Its scenic site was established more than 20 years before New York's Central Park. In its early days, popular activities included picnics, horse-drawn carriage rides, walks, and sightseeing tours. Today, the 78 acre cemetery is visited daily by historians, artists, researchers, dog-walkers, runners, cyclists, and sightseers.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · United States