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Mount Moriah Cemetery: Opinions of the Press |
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Written by John Ellingsworth
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Tuesday, 29 November 2005 |
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Page 2 of 2
From the City Item.
THE MOUNT MORIAH OEMETERY.
"In the midst of life we are in death."
"Of death, it has been said, that nothing is more certain than that it will come, and nothing more uncertain than when it will come. * * * *
Knowing that we have here no resting place of abode, it is the part. of wisdom to look forward to our departure. * * * *
The loss of our friends impresses upon us hourly the necessity of our own departure.
The other day we paid a visit to the Mount Moriah Cemetery, for the purpose of selecting a burial lot for ourself and family. Although but recently organized, this Cemetery is now in successful operation, and the lots are in request at the very moderate prices, asked for them. We were charmed with the quiet and picturesque beauty of the spot. After hearing much of its natural loveliness, and its many advantages for Cemetery purposes, we found the reality far exceeded the description. The grounds consist of about sixty acres, lying on the bounds of the city, separated from the farms of Delaware county by. a beautiful stream of water, about three miles from Market street bridge, and but little more than a mile from Gray's Ferry; it is accessible at all seasons by the Darby Plank Road, being near enough to the compact part of the city, while its location precludes all danger of its inmates ever being disturbed by the progress of improvements, a decided. advantage possessed by no other Cemetery of equal accessibility in so great a degree.
It is in the power of the Association to make this Cemetery one of the largest, as it is already one of the handsomest in the world. The, adjoining grounds may be secured at a moderate price, and we think the managers owe it to themselves and to the public to make the purchase.
This Cemetery possesses many advantages. The country is elevated, gently undulating, beautiful and healthful. The access is easy and delightful. Churches of various denominations have already selected sections in the Cemetery for the use of their respective congregations for burial purposes. The whole road leading from the Market street bridge is lighted up at night with gas, and the neighborhood is orderly and respectable.
The Lodge, Gateway, wall, &c., are now in course of construction - in fact, they will be finished by the first of August.
At a glance one may see the beauty, economy, and convenience of this spot as a place of burial. In a future number we will speak of other matters, which we have been compelled. to slight in this hurriedly written article.
From the Weekly Commercial and Rail Road Advertiser, July 1.
THE MOUNT MORIAH CEMETERY ASSOCIATION.
Onr attention has been called to the prospectus of this Association, which presents many desirable features, and is worthy of the attention of the community. It is well known that the existing cemeteries in and very near the city, distant as they were when first opened, are now being rapidly surrounded by residences and business establishments, and are more or less liable to be disturbed by the opening of new streets. The almost unprecedented growth of Philadelphia during the last few years, and the still more rapid strides she is inevitably destined to make from the effects of the recent consolidation, will very soon destroy the retirement and sanctity of those spots where even our recent dead are already buried. Monument Cemetery, the Odd Fellows', Glenwood, the Woodlands, &c., are now almost in the city itself, and surrounded with bricks and mortar, while even Laurel Hill is rapidly losing its character as a rural burial ground, and will, besides, in a very few years be over-crowded with tenants, or completely taken up by lot-holders. In New York they calculate differently. Greenwood Cemetery lies at a considerable distance from the city, and in a location where it will eventually be surrounded only by the cottages and grounds of men of wealth and leisure, so that it is not liable to the same objections that can be urged against all our old cemeteries. It is a thought very dear to the surviving friends of the departed that their dust will be suffered to repose where it is originally laid, and everyone knows the intense excitement that is periodically created by the attempts of our more progressive citizens to invade the holy ground for the purpose of extending streets, or for other works of what is considered utility. Those, therefore, selecting the last resting places for their beloved dead should be careful to choose such locations as are likely to be the least liable to such intrusions.
The Mount Moriah Cemetery Association was organized for the purpose of securing a burial ground beyond the probable reach of the present spirit of improvement, where we may reasonably expect that our friends may repose unmolested until the day when all shall rise together. Their grounds are on the line between the City and Delaware county, to which line, in that direction at least, it is not at all likely that the city improvements will ever reach. A beautiful stream of water forms the western boundary. Everyone who has seen it is delighted with the beauty of the scenery and the fitness of the location. The shares be but fifty dollars each, payable in monthly installments of five dollars each, and entitling the holder to five lots, containing together four hundred square feet of ground. The terms bring the lots within the reach of men of the most moderate means. The business of the association is in the bands of competent and reliable men. We give the names and residents of the officers below, and earnestly advise all interested to call on one of them and secure an interest in this beautiful rural Cemetery before it be too late.
From the Evening Bulletin.
The tendency of the age is to avoid intramural interments and to establish rural cemeteries where the graves of the departed, and their surroundings, will be divested of those hideous associations which have in days gone by rendered ideas of death terrible and the last resting place of humanity loathsome. In all the principal cities of the Union, the example of the people of the East in this respect has been followed, and rural cemeteries have been established, where the dead can repose without fear of disturbance, and which surviving friends can visit without having their feelings shocked by witnessing the rude contact of the tomb with the ordinary business of life, and without seeing tbe bones of the long since departed thrown from their resting place in a crowded church yard, to make room for the dead of today. Philadelphia stands foremost in the performance of duty to the dead in a decent and becoming manner. Her rural cemeteries are surpassed by none others in the Union, and they are perhaps equal, in respect to beauty and good taste to any in the world.
A number of influential citizens have started a new cemetery within the last year, which is steadily progressing in public favor, and which promises to compare favorably with the burial grounds north of the city, which are so deservedly popular. The Mount Moriah Cemetery, to which we refer, is located on the Southwestern border of the city. Its surface is elevated above the surrounding country, and the prospect from its grassy heights is striking and picturesque. The dry soil, the magnificent shade trees which abound upon and around the spot, and the romantic scenery about the grounds, recommend the latter for the purpose for which they are designed, while the readiness of access from the city by the Darby Plank Road is an important advantage. The grounds, which are sixty acres in extent, contain all the variety of hill and dale which is now considered an absolute requisite in rural cemeteries. The gravelled walks have been laid out in such a manner as to wind around the base of the gentle hills, and every tomb and monument will show to a proper advantage. There is no scarcity of shady nooks, and abrupt hill sides on the grounds, which will afford eligible sites for the location of family vaults. Around the rear of the Cemetery Cobb's creek brawls over its rocky bed, and lends an additional charm to the scene. The greater portion of the grounds are already enclosed with a substantial wall, and workmen are now busily engaged in the erection of a splendid Gateway and Lodge, with turret, etc., all constructed of fine brown stone and built in the Castellated Norman style of architecture. Those who desire to secure lots in a beautiful rural cemetery, at a reasonable cost, have an opportunity afforded them in the Mount Moriah. The rapid increase in the value of the lots will probably soon induce the Association to put up the price of shares.
The entire exemption of Mount Moriah from those disturbing noises, so often painfully experienced in other cemeteries contiguous to streets and rail roads, is distinctly set forth in the following article from the Daily News.
MOUNT MORIAH.
While the thermometer stood at 97 only, the other day, we took advantage of the "Accommodation Line," started by the managers of Mount Moriah Cemetery, to run from their office in Walnut street to the cool and shady grounds along Cobbs Creek.
Here, secure from the Sun's rays, and the scorching atmosphere of the town we had leisure to see the progress of the improvements of the Company. .
The elegant brown stone lodge and gateway now rise in massive proportions, reflecting equal credit on the architect who designed, and the builder who erected, and for the projected purpose they cannot be excelled in style or workmanship. The quiet hour we spent there, was uninterrupted by the slightest noise, save the warbling of birds and the music of the waterfall. No jarring rattle of carriage wheels, no shrill screeching whistle of the engine, no thundering clatter of railroad cars rushing by, disturbed our reverie. Mount Moriah stands alone in this respect; it is undisturbed by the noise of the busy world without, and is altogether the most quiet and beautiful spot we know. If the reader doubts, let him go and see it.
From the Evening Argus.
MOUNT MORlAH CEMETERY ASSOCIATION.
Those of our readers who have not yet taken advantage of the kind offer of this association to visit their grounds, should do so at Once.' There is no ground any where in the neighborhood of Philadelphia so well adapted for burial purposes as this. It is, also, a beautiful spot; and, at no distant day, destined to be the favored cemetery of this county. Its distance, which is about a mile and a quarter on the other side of the Gray's Ferry Bridge, is just sufficient to allay any uneasiness in the minds of those purchasing lots as to the march of improvements. We occasionally hear in this city of bodies to be taken up to be re-interred in other places, so that dwellings may be erected on the site of the former "City of the Dead." No fears may be entertained, of such things occurring on the grounds of this company. At the present moment a very large number of masons, stone-cutters, and others, are engaged in putting up the walls, gateways, and chapel, all of which are rapidly assuming an appearance indicative of the purposes, for which they are intended. Carriages leave the office of the association, every clear afternoon, to carry purchasers to the grounds, so that they may know exactly what they are buying. We cordially recommend this ground to those in want of burial lots.
King & Baird, Printers, 9 Sansom Street, Phila.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 03 December 2005 )
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2005 all rights reserved |
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