Arlington Cemetery (Pennsylvania)

Arlington Cemetery in autumn

Mount Vernon Office

Monticello Mausoleum

Arlington Cemetery is a cemetery in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.

Overview

The Arlington Cemetery Company was founded in 1895.^[1][2] It is located on State Road in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, United States and occupies roughly 130 acres (0.53 km²).^[1]

The Arlington Cemetery now consists of the Mount Vernon Office, Topitzer Funeral Home, Williamsburg Chapel, The Museum of Mourning Art, The Garden Mausoleum, The Monticello Mausoleum, and a greenhouse.^[1] In addition, the cemetery itself is divided up into about 18 sections, each individually named.^[2]

Toppitzer Funeral Home

The Toppizter Funeral Home, Inc., offers both traditional services and cremation. In addition, the Toppitzer Funeral Home uses a replica of an 18th-century horse-drawn hearse upon request for funeral processions. The original horse-drawn hearse can be seen in the Museum of Mourning Art located within the Mount Vernon office.^[3]

Monticello Mausoleum

The Monticello Mausoleum is loosely modeled after the original Virginia home of Thomas Jefferson. There is a bronze bell under the dome that was cast in the foundry of Paul Revere.^[4] The bell was originally made for a church in Vermont, the bell was then moved to Pennsylvania. The bell rings once during a burial in the mausoleum.^[4]

Williamsburg Chapel

The Williamsburg Chapel is a non-denominational chapel. It has been used for weddings, and at Christmas time each year, a free holiday concert is held there.^[5]

The Museum of Mourning Art

Arlington Cemetery established a permanent Museum of Mourning Art dedicated to the study of beliefs and rituals that surround the arts of dying and grieving. The collection is located in the Mount Vernon office and contains both spiritual and historical symbols. These are symbols such as an angel, the Lamb of God, wreath, urn and stages of life. Appearing on various art forms most popular between the 17th and 19th centuries, they adorn books, paintings, jewelry, gates, and clocks.

One of the more unusual artifacts in the Museum is a cemetery gun. At the time, physicians and artists stole bodies from new graves for their studies. Acting as a night watchman, the cemetery gun was rigged to go off if someone tripped over it in the graveyard. It was eventually outlawed in England due to the innocent people it shot.^[6]

Horse-drawn hearse

Horse-drawn hearse

A replica of an early American horse-drawn hearse is sometimes used for funeral processions at Arlington Cemetery Co. The replica is based upon an original horse-drawn hearse that is in the Museum of Mourning Art.

Notable burials

Veterans Visiting the Graves of Fallen Soldiers

• Lloyd Alexander (1924–2007) – Author of children's fantasy fiction books, such as the "Chronicles of Prydain" series. Won the Newbery Medal for "The High King" in 1969.^[7]
• Jack Clements (1864–1941) – Major League Baseball Player. Played Major League baseball as a catcher for 17 seasons (1884 to 1900). Played with the Philadelphia Keystones of the Union Association, the Philadelphia Quakers/Phillies, St. Louis Browns (Cardinals), Cleveland Spiders (Indians) and Boston Beaneaters (Braves).^[7][8]
• William Adolphus Crouse (1866–1941) – Spanish-American War Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Served on the USS Concord as Watertender in the United States Navy.^[7]
• Wes Curry (1860–1933) – Major League baseball umpire and player from 1884-1898.^[9]
• Benjamin F. James (1885–1961) – Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Later became president and chairman of the board of directors of the Franklin Printing Co.^[7]
• Alan MacDiarmid (1927–2007) – Chemist and recipient of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2000.^[7]
• John F. Mackie (1835–1910) – United States Marine and a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions in the American Civil War. He was the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor.^[7]
• Sherry Magee (1884–1929) – Left fielder in Major League Baseball. Played for the Philadelphia Phillies (1904–1914), Boston Braves (1915–1917) and Cincinnati Reds (1917 -1919).^[7][10]
• Ruth Malcomson (1906–1988) – Miss America 1924.
• William H. Milliken, Jr. (1897–1969) – Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.^[7]
• Harry O'Neill (1917–1945) – American baseball player who appeared in one 1939 game for the Philadelphia Athletics, but was one of only two major league baseball players killed in action during World War II.^[11]
• Sarkis Torossian (1891–1954) – Decorated Ottoman, French, and English commander of Armenian descent.^[12]
• Morrie Rath (1886–1945) – American baseball player who played second base for the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds in the 1910s.^[7][13]
• Theodore F. Smith (1852–1925) – Indian Wars Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Served as a Private in Company G, 1st United States Regular Cavalry.^[7]

References

External links

• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Arlington Cemetery
• "Arlington Cemetery & Toppitzer Funeral Home, Inc.". Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on 2013-01-08. Retrieved 2013-01-04. 
• Arlington Cemetery at Find a Grave

Coordinates: 39°57′18″N 75°17′31″W / 39.955°N 75.292°W / 39.955; -75.292