Glenwood Memorial Gardens

Glenwood Memorial Gardens
Glenwood Memorial Gardens Entrance Sign
Map
Details
Established1849
Location
CountryUnited States
Typeprivate
Owned byService Corporation International
No. of graves~23,000
WebsiteOfficial website
Find a GraveGlenwood Memorial Gardens

Glenwood Memorial Gardens is a 70-acre lawn cemetery in Broomall, Pennsylvania. It was originally established in 1849 as a rural cemetery on 20 acres in North Philadelphia as Glenwood Cemetery. Over 700 Union army and Confederate States Army soldiers who died in local hospitals during the American Civil War were buried in the old Glenwood Cemetery. The soldiers' remains were moved to the Philadelphia National Cemetery in 1891.

By the 1920s, Glenwood Cemetery had fallen into disrepair, suffered from vandalism and was the target for additional new development. The City of Philadelphia closed the cemetery to new burials in 1921 and many families relocated graves, including the famous Barrymore family of actors. New Glenwood Cemetery was established in 1923 on farm land in Broomall. The remains of 169 Mexican–American War veterans were reinterred to the Philadelphia National Cemetery in 1927, and the 20-foot high marble monument to their honor was moved with them.

Old Glenwood Cemetery was closed by the City of Philadelphia in 1938 and 20,000 burials were relocated to New Glenwood Cemetery. The cemetery expanded after World War II and was renamed Glenwood Memorial Gardens. It is currently owned by Service Corporation International, the largest cemetery provider in the United States.