Photo of Christ Church Burial Ground by R. Kennedy for VISIT PHILADELPHIA®
As a historic boutique hotel in a deeply historic city, Guild House has a special connection to the landmarks and destinations that tell the stories of Philadelphia’s past. And no place has more stories to tell than a cemetery. (And no month feels more apt than October for communing with the spirits.) Here, we’ve rounded up eight of our favorite cemeteries to visit in (and around Philadelphia). In truth, it’s just a tiny snapshot of the many historic and fascinating burial grounds our city and its surrounding towns hold— but these few are especially known for their beauty, their history, a little touch of spookiness. Or all of the above.
Laurel Hill Cemetery
One of Philly’s most famous (and famously beautiful) cemeteries, Laurel Hill in Fairmount Park is known for being particularly welcoming to tourists and visitors from Philly and beyond. (See: themed tours, guided walking and self-guided tours, movie nights, the Rest in Peace 5K, and more.) The nation’s second-oldest garden-designed cemetery (founded in 1836), has two plots of land, separated by the Schuylkill River—Laurel Hill and Laurel Hill West. It was created as a natural retreat, an arboretum, and a beautiful park in addition to serving as a final resting place for much of Philly’s who’s who. Both the natural world and the built world (check out the mausoleums!) are really something to behold.
A few names you might recognize here: Too many to list here, actually, but a few of note? Architect Frank Furness, Union General George Meade, first U.S. Mint Director David Rittenhouse, Phillies broadcaster Harry Calas, the (fictitious) Adrienne Balboa, wife to Rocky. Also? The great Florence Kelley, who has a connection to our boutique hotel: She was a member of the New Century Guild (and a remarkable one, at that!). Our Florence Suite is named for her!
Distance from Guild House Hotel: A little over 5 miles
Photo of Laurel Hill Cemetery by R. Kennedy for GPTMC/VISIT PHILADELPHIA®
Eden Cemetery
Eden isn’t in Philly proper, but a few miles outside, in the town of Collingdale. (Still under 10 miles away form our historic hotel in Philly, though!) It’s worth noting amidst the sea of other historic burial grounds around Philadelphia given its history as one of the country’s oldest Black-owned cemeteries. These 53-acre burial grounds were created so that African Americans in Philly could be buried “with dignity and respect,” and its founding in the Jim Crow era was both deeply practical and highly symbolic—this cemetery is a real sliver of the civil rights history of our city and country. Meantime, the bold-faced names buried here also offer a fascinating peek into the world of Philadelphia greatness: residents include Marian Anderson, the legendary soprano; the abolitionist, thought leader and civil rights activist Octavius Catto, Reverend Charles Tindley (who wrote “We Shall Overcome)”; architect Julian Abele, who helped design Duke University, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Central Library, and Harvard’s Widener Memorial Library.
A Guild House Hotel Connection: Eden’s virtual tour about “two women and two cemeteries” features Frances Ellen Watkins Harper and Mary Grew. Both were abolitionists and suffragists, and Mary was a founding member of the club that was the predecessor to the New Century Guild—she’s half of the namesake of our Mary Margaretta suite!
Distance from Guild House Hotel: About 7.5 miles
Old Pine Street Church’s Historic Colonial Churchyard
The lovely old churchyard, attached to the circa-1764 Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church, is filled with American history. Philadelphians buried here include a signer of the U.S. Constitution, more than 200 Revolutionary soldiers, three Continental Congress attendees, a ringer of the Liberty Bell, a couple colonial printers, 22 sea captains, five tavern keepers, a U.S. Congressman, and many more. You can take a docent-led tour of the churchyard (by request, with advance notice), or simply stroll through on your own—it’s open seven days a week during daylight hours.
Tombstone trivia: The 2004 Nicolas Cage movie National Treasure shot scenes among these historic graves.
Distance from Guild House Hotel: About 1 mile
Photo of Old Pine Street Historic Colonial Churchyard courtesy of Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church
Mount Moriah Historic Cemetery & Arboretum
The largest cemetery in the state closed in 2011—which has given the grounds, designed in 1855 as a beautiful green space in which people could relax and spend leisure time, an “atmosphere of a lost city in jungle,” as Hidden City once put it. But the nature and the architecture of the graves here are still quite beautiful, and the Friends of Mount Moriah have put enormous effort into the grounds to keep the thousands of graves, history and stories here, er, alive. A couple resting places here that get a lot of mentions belong to John Whitehead (half of McFadden and Whitehead, who sang “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now), and Louis Bassett, who founded Philly’s beloved Bassetts Ice Cream. (As the Inquirer noted, not so long ago, family members had an ice cream social at the graveside.) And of course, among the souls resting here are countless other players in history, including many Civil War vets and of victims of the flu pandemic of 1918.
Good to know: Mt. Moriah is open for self-guided tours, but also, Hidden City—the organization devoted to historic preservation, storytelling and journalism, and public history—has been known to offer both scheduled and also privately arranged “Death & Life at Mt. Moriah” walking tours.
Distance from Guild House Hotel: Just under 5 miles
Photo of Mount Moriah Historic Cemetery & Arboretum by Al Wilson
The Woodlands
This stunning cemetery and arboretum is known for how welcoming it is—its stated mission is to “enrich the lives of area residents and visitors by serving as a hub for activities and educational programs that interpret, celebrate and make available to the public The Woodlands’ historic buildings and tranquil green space.” To that end, there are loads of events, as well as regular visitors there just to walk amongst the forested grounds. Famous gravesites include those belonging to the artist Thomas Eakins, surgeon Samuel Gross, and Paul Philippe Cret, who designed the Rodin Museum.
Another Guild House Hotel Connection: Buried here are the brave and brilliant partners Mary Grew and Margaretta (Margaret) Jones Burleigh—abolitionists, suffragists and the founding members of the club that was the predecessor to the New Century Guild, whose former headquarters now house our boutique Guild House Hotel.
Distance from Guild House Hotel: About 3 miles
Photo of The Woodlands Cemetery by J. Fusco for GPTMC/VISIT PHILADELPHIA®
Longwood Cemetery
Chartered in 1855 in the beautiful Brandywine Valley, Longwood is the farthest-flung of every cemetery on the list—but it’s worth noting here not just because of its fascinating history, but also because of the connection it has with our historic Philadelphia hotel: This is the cemetery where the New Century Guild’s founder, Eliza Sproat Turner, is laid to rest. Founded by Quakers, the cemetery allowed no distinction in burial “on account of color or condition” (a true rarity at the time), and here you’ll find the graves of Civil War soldiers, Quaker abolitionists, diplomats, multiple leaders of the Underground Railroad, and many more.
Don’t Miss: The Longwood Meeting House, next to the cemetery, was the site for many years of the Pennsylvania Yearly Meeting of Progressive Friends, which meant that Sojourner Truth, William Lloyd Garrison, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony were all here. The Meeting House is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
Distance from Guild House Hotel: About 35 miles
Christ Church Burial Ground
The big name here is Ben Franklin, whose tombstone is almost always covered in pennies, thanks to his old adage (you know: “a penny saved is a penny earned”), but the history of the 300-year-old burial ground encompasses a great many other famous Americans, including five signers of the Declaration of Independence, the great doctor Benjamin Rush, the respected Commodore William Bainbridge, famed socialite and friend-of-the-Washingtons Elizabeth Powel, John Ross (Betsy’s first husband) and many others, including victims of Philadelphia’s horrible Yellow Fever epidemic in the 1790s.
Bonus: You can’t beat the location: the corner of 5th and Arch, which was chosen in the 18th century because it was “the suburbs,” is today the heart of Old City, which means you’re right on top of the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the historic Christ Church itself, the National Constitution Center … and loads more Philly destinations people come from all over to see. (Ahem: You’re also not too far from the historic Guild House Hotel!)
Distance from Guild House Hotel: Just over 1 mile
Photo of Ben Franklin’s grave at Christ Church Burial Ground by R. Kennedy for GPTMC/Visit Philly
Mikveh Israel Cemetery
The oldest Jewish cemetery in the city (c. 1740) is also a National Historic Shrine, with a great number of patriots and Revolutionary heroes resting therein. It’s part of Independence National Historic Park and is on the National Register of Historic Places (and not far from Christ Church, conveniently), and is full of interesting stories. One notable memorial pays tribute to Haym Salomon, a hero of the Revolution and one of its financiers. Another name Philadelphians know is Gratz: Many members from the family are there—they were well-known as merchants, war heroes, community leaders, co-founders of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and more. (Among them? Rebecca Gratz,, the famed philanthropist who was the inspiration for Rebecca in the novel Ivanhoe—also the first Jewish female college student in the U.S.)
Tip: The Mikveh Israel Synagogue (the oldest continuous Jewish synagogue in the country!) offers tours: Visitors who want a docent-led tour to hear about the fascinating history of the synagogue and congregation can call the synagogue office to find out when docents are scheduled. (Donations are appreciated.)
Distance from Guild House Hotel: About .7 miles
