The Woodlands Cemetery Company

Woodlands Cemetery Company of Philadelphia was founded in 1840 with the stated goal that “the beautiful landscape and scenery of that situation [Hamilton’s estate] may be perpetually preserved,” rescuing the site from imminent industrial use and the later residential development of West Philadelphia’s “streetcar suburb.” Hamilton’s cultivated landscape was transformed into a “rural cemetery,” with winding carriage-ways and highly individualized monuments. Thousands of evergreens were planted among existing species to enhance the setting. Today’s landscape is a virtual arboretum that includes seven aged but magnificent English elms and fifteen trees that qualify for State Champion status.

Woodlands Cemetery became a favorite destination for Victorian outings. Today it continues to be visited as a green space and as a resting place for over 30,000 people, including many of the city and region’s notable families and most accomplished individuals. Among them are architect Paul Philippe Cret (1876-1945), financier Francis Martin Drexel (1792-1863), artist Thomas Eakins (1844-1916), abolitionist Mary Grew (1813-96), surgeon Samuel Gross (1805-84), and Commodore David Porter (1780-1843). To learn more about other well-known individuals and families buried at The Woodlands, visit our Notables page by clicking the image below.