Philadelphia National Cemetery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Philadelphia National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located north of Germantown in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It encompasses 13.3 acres, and as of the end of 2005, had 13,143 interments. It is maintained by the Beverly National Cemetery in Beverly, New Jersey.
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[edit] History
Philadelphia National Cemetery was one of the original National Cemeteries established in 1862. It was intended specifically to bury those veterans who died in nearby hospitals, but in 1885, the government purchased an additional 13 acres and decided to consolidate and reinter the remains of soldiers which were in numerous small plots scattered throughout the region.
Philadelphia National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
[edit] Notable monuments
- Mexican-American War Monument, which is a large marble obelisk dedicated to the 38 Mexican-American War veterans buried in the cemetery.
- Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument was erected in 1911, dedicated to the Confederate soldiers interred at the cemetery.
- Revolutionary War Memorial, dedicated to soldiers of the Revolutionary War.
[edit] Notable interments
- Major General Galusha Pennypacker, Medal of Honor recipient for action at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher during the Civil War and youngest person to hold the rank of General in the United States Army.
- Seaman Alphonse Girandy, Medal of Honor recipient for peace time service aboard the USS Petrel.
