Philadelphia Cemeteries that Mark Our Nation’s 250th Birthday – Part 1

Did you know that there are about twenty cemeteries in the center city Philadelphia area that were actually in existence in 1776? As we celebrate our nation’s birth this year – 2026 – we’ll have a look at some historical landmarks that are actually land. Land, that is, that still holds the remains of the people who were alive when the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776!

Betsy Ross' grave, Mount Moriah Cemetery

My goal is to write a short series of posts over the spring of 2026 so you can virtually visit many of these Colonial-era burial grounds with me. This initial post will serve as an introduction to more in-depth posts that will follow. I plan to discuss in detail many of these cemeteries, their history, their occupants, and their importance to the history of Philadelphia and America as a nation. We’ll also cover certain Philadelphia “landmarks” that are fake. Or perhaps I should call them reasonable facsimiles. Unlike the Betsy Ross House and the building where Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence, these cemeteries are the real deal. These are the actual grounds that our forefathers walked on and are buried in. True history, zero fabrication. By the way, not only is the “Betsy Ross House” not Betsy Ross’ house, but she is also not buried there! (She’s buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery in southwest Philadelphia.)

 

Betsy Ross stone marker at the Betsy Ross House, Philadelphia

In January, 2026, I presented this material in a virtual lecture hosted by the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia. Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in the spirited Q&A session afterward! If anyone has comments or questions related to the post you’re reading now, please comment at the end, or you can reach me at Ed.Stoneangels@gmail.com.

Betsy Ross House, 239 Arch Street

The photo you see at the beginning of this article shows Washington Square, at Seventh and Walnut Streets. From 1704 to 1794, the square served as a Potters Field, a burial ground for people not associated with a church or other private organization. Thousands are buried beneath its fountain, monuments, and well-manicured lawns. Yellow fever victims, criminals, and strangers who died passing through town were buried here. It also served as a mass grave for Washington’s soldiers who died fighting the British prior to the British occupation of Philadelphia in 1777. (Read more here.)

The Potters Field that is Washington Square Park, Seventh and Walnut Streets

But lets go back a bit further in time. Our American ancestors buried their dead in the ground because this was the European tradition brought to America by our forefathers, mainly immigrants from Europe. This is one reason why we don’t have more sky burials of burn our dead on funeral pyres in the town square, as other cultures do. In-ground burial in America remains popular hundreds of years later.

Original 1761 Old St. Paul's Church building and graveyard (Third and Walnut Streets.)

The population of Philadelphia grew from 2,000 in 1700 to 30,000 by 1776. As the city grew, more and more burial grounds were needed. In 1776, the city itself was comprised of only 1200 acres! The entire city was bordered on the north by Spring Garden Street, the South by Christian Street, the west by Eighth Street, and the east by the Delaware River (click to see map). Outside those borders were farms and woods. And pirates, of course, who used Petty’s Island (off the coast of Pennsauken, New Jersey) as an anchorage point – but that’s another story. It is estimated that within these 1200 acres, 120 cemeteries existed in 1776!

Of these 120, many were small, like family plots on private land. But some were large like the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia Burial Ground (est. 1707, currently buried under the pavement at 218 Arch Street) with an estimated 5,000 graves. Now, just because a graveyard is only the size of a city block, this does not mean it only accommodates a few hundred burials. Palmer Burial Ground in Fishtown, for instance, takes up the area of one city block. It was established around 1732 and holds an estimated 40,000 burials! And it is STILL an active cemetery! Many colonial-era cemeteries and graveyards in Philadelphia not only remain active, but remain current and contemporary, as can be seen from this sign on the front of Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church at Fourth and Pine Streets (est. 1764).

Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead died January 10, 2026.

Only about twenty of these original 120 city cemeteries can still be visited. The fact that any of them exist at all is a credit to their owners (typically churches and synagogues). Most of the 120 were either moved or built over as the city grew. For a map of where all these burial grounds are located, I direct you to the website of the Philadelphia Archaeological Forum, and their interactive map of historic burial grounds. https://www.phillyarchaeology.net/historic-philadelphia-burial-places-map/

Not only can you see all the sites, but also the name of the burial ground, when and if it was moved, as well as where the graves were moved to – if they were moved at all. As I say, some graveyards, like the Bethel Burial Ground at 400 Catherine Street (in Queen Village), still lie undisturbed beneath our streets, playgrounds, and parking lots. Five thousand very quiet neighbors reside beneath Weccacoe Playground’s tennis court and community center (red building in the background in photo below).

Weccacoe Playground at 400 Catherine Street

Here's an interesting exercise - look for your residence (or workplace) in center city Philadelphia on the PAF interactive map and see if there is a burial ground beneath that location. You may even consider looking up your friends’ and neighbors’ homes to see if they might be living over a graveyard – always a fascinating topic for discussion.  

So as we go forward, and visit specific cemeteries, here are a few topics I will cover:

• ·        Cemeteries as landmarks
• ·        Significance of historic cemeteries
• ·        Growth of the city and need for cemeteries
• ·        Significance of gravemarkers (tangible reminders)
• ·        Cemetries that disappeared
• ·        Preservation - How cemeteries stay in business

Christ Church Burial Ground, Fifth and Arch Streets

So when friends and relatives come to Philadelphia this year to celebrate our nation’s 250^th birthday, the United States' Semiquincentennial, consider a walking tour of its Colonial-era cemeteries and graveyards! (By the way, a graveyard is technically a burial ground associated with a church, while a cemetery is a secular, or non-religious burial ground.) Join me next time for Part 2 of Philadelphia Cemeteries that Mark Our Nation’s 250th Birthday!