Arlington Cemetery, Drexel Hill, PA (2/5/2023)

Sunday, February 5, 2023

Following an "Arctic Blast" on Friday-Saturday, it was "balmy" enough for a walk in sweatshirts today. We had a list of names of notable people, in order to look for specific grave markerss in Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill, PA.

However, the cemetery is quite large, with too many gravestones to wander among, looking for pertinent names. Maybe we can find GPS coordinates for these graves?

Arlington Cemetery hosts a very diverse population; and
there are many Taxus baccata “Fastigiata”/Irish Yews
that were traditionally planted in English graveyards

The long-lived Irish yew is an evergreen tree (can be pruned into a shrub) that has come to symbolize the "everlife." The yew is also associated with Hecate, the Greek goddess of death.

The "Old Office" appears to now be a residence, and
was originally the home of Isaac Garrett, the brother
of Thomas Garrett, Jr, a prominent abolitionist and
stationmaster on the Underground Railroad

Thomas Garrett, Jr and Isaac Garrett were born at Riverview Farm, and the property was divided between the two brothers. Arlington Cemetery is located on the Fernland Farm portion that belonged to Isaac Garrett. This house was also a station on the Underground Railroad.

A cottage next to the greenhouse (c 1940) is also a residence,
perhaps for Sean and Stacey McN, who run GreenHorn Garden

Currently closed for the season, GreenHorn Gardens
gives back to the community, and they were the primary
donor of produce to Harvest 2020 during the pandemic,
sponsored by the Philadelphia Horticultural Society

Arlington Mausoleum

Monticello Mausoleum was planned to recreate the
original Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson

Mount Vernon Office (1987) was built to resemble the
original mansion of George Washington, and once housed
the Museum of Mourning Art, now closed

A wooden lamppost

Garden Mausoleum (1988) was the first public
mausoleum at Arlington Cemetery, and has
wrought-iron gates identical to those at historic
Christ Church in Philadelphia

Spotted the grave marker for Robert J Clendening (1914-
1982) who was a Pennsylvania State Representative 1949-1952