Products of the period’s Romantic philosophy, rural cemeteries were meant to beautify death with picturesque landscapes filled with classical monuments and to replace unhygienic urban churchyards. The idea for Laurel Hill originated in 1835, when John Jay Smith (1798-1881), a Quaker editor and horticulturist, joined forces with several other Philadelphians to establish a rural cemetery similar to those in Europe, like Père Lachaise outside Paris. More than a cemetery, Laurel Hill became an outdoor art museum and tourist attraction and provided a prototype for Fairmount Park. With monuments designed by the era’s most prominent sculptors and architects, it served as elite Philadelphia’s preferred burial place for over a century. ( Laurel Hill Cemetery Company)įounded in 1836 as an alternative to the overcrowded churchyards of rapidly growing Philadelphia, Laurel Hill Cemetery was the first rural cemetery for the city and the second in the United States. At upper left, a funeral cortege with hearse and mourners’ carriages advances along Ridge Pike toward the cemetery. in 1848, looks west from Ford Road (Clearfield Avenue). Philadelphia, the Place that Loves You BackĮssay An idealized view of Laurel Hill Cemetery, issued by the New York firm Goupil, Vibert & Co.
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