Cemetery Name: Greenwood Knights of Pythias Cemetery
Street: 930 Adams Avenue
City: Philadelphia
County: Philadelphia County
State: PA
Zip: 19124-2497
Land Type: Both Public and Private
Status: Active
Number of graves: 40,000
Oldest grave: Not known - there were many burials prior to
cemetery charter in 1869
Records: Yes
Inventory: Don't Know
Owner: Greenwood Knights of Pythias Cemetery Company - owner
George David DeLong
Location
The earliest record book for burials that occurred prior to 1869
was stolen during an office break-in. After the break-in the
Pennsylvania Historical Society microfilmed the second record book
which begins in 1869.
Description
Greenwood Knights of Pythias Cemetery was modeled after the rural
cemetery movement of the mid 19th Century. There is a historic house
at the entrance which dates back to 1750-1775 for the oldest section.
In the early 1800s the house was added on and took on the appearance
of a vernacular federal structure. The most famous owner was Dr.
Benjamin Rush, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Behind the house is a very impressive late Victorian receiving vault
with the Knights of Pythias insignia. The cemetery is surrounded on
two sides with a dressed stone wall and there is an iron archway
flanked by pedestrian gates at the entrance. Original plans for the
cemetery show circular walkways, a lake and a series of family vaults,
along with a very imposing gatehouse. Sadly, none of these were
realized. The cemetery today is in very poor, run-down condition.
Underbrush and trees have sprung up, particular in the back of the
cemetery. Headstones throughout the cemetery are toppled and may
Problem
The property may be changing hands soon and the buyer wants to
knock down the historic house, remove the headstones and bulldoze the
cemetery. This would be wholesale destruction.
Previous Contacts
A Nomination has been submitted to the Philadelphia Historical
Commission to place the house and cemetery on the Philadelphia
Register of Historic Places.
Current Status
The Philadelphia Historical Commission will be considering this
nomination and putting it to a vote on June 14, 2000. Support is
needed in the form of letters to the Commission. Please visit my
website and read more about Greenwood Knights of Pythias Cemetery and
print out a sample letter to the Historical Commission. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~solly/pages/greenwood.html
Contact for additional information:
name: Gloria Boyd
Email: glo777@home.com
Update - 5/19/2000
The Philadelphia Historical Commission's Committee met this morning
and reviewed the criteria for Greenwood's nomination.
After a discussion period with audience and
interested parties giving their input the
Committee unanimously agreed to recommend the nomination be approved
by the Commission at the next meeting on June 14, 2000. To my
great delight, they even went further and recommended that two additional
criteria be added to the nomination: landscape architecture
and sculpture.
Given the nature of the property, i.e., a cemetery, the Committee
recognized that there would be ongoing activity on the
grounds. They will be preparing a memorandum
concerning things which can occur without the
necessity of an owner obtaining Historical Commission approval.
I understand this means basic maintenance, repairs to tombstones,
opening of graves, etc.
I am so happy......yet exhausted! I really put everything I had
into this. However, it is not over yet. The
Commission still needs to vote on June 14th. We
still need to let the Commission know this is an important
issue so keep those letters coming! There is a sample support
letter on my website at:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~solly/pages/greenwood.html
Update 12/19/2000
New management has taken over Greenwood Cemetery. There is heavy
equipment going through the cemetery. I have heard reports of
tombstones, particularly Civil War tombstones, disappearing. The
bucket loaders are running over corner markers and dislodging them.
New roads are being opened up within the cemetery and have, in some
cases, gone over graves. A dumpster truck ran into the historic iron
archway and ripped it out of the stone pillars at the entrance to the
cemetery.
UPDATE - Aug 11, 2000
On Aug 9, 2000 the Philadelphia Historical Commission voted
Greenwood Cemetery onto the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.
