Mount Moriah Cemetery – A Cemetery Abandoned

Whenever I take a trip, I do some quick research to see if there are any interesting cemeteries nearby. It’s one of my favorite parts of any trip. On a recent trip, I realized we would be close enough to visit Mount Moriah Cemetery.Mount Moriah Cemetery is located in southwest Philadelphia, covers 380 acres with over 85,000 graves making it the largest cemetery in Pennsylvania.  What makes this cemetery so unusual and fascinating to me is that it is considered to be an abandoned cemetery. It’s difficult to see the paths to drive through the cemetery, and most of the cemetery is completely overgrown. Many of the headstones are barely visible through the brush.Mount Moriah Cemetery was incorporated on March 27th, 1855, and was known as one of three cemeteries that Philadelphia’s Victorian upper class favored.  I imagine this cemetery in its prime must have been beautiful with acres and acres spread out before you and enormous, intricately carved headstones dotting the landscape.We arrived at the cemetery after spending a few hours at Pennhurst and parked the car in front of a hill lined with some very impressive, bricked up mausoleums. I mentioned to Matt that I felt like we were in Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom. It was an incredibly warm day, and the humidity was quite high. Not something I’m used to as I’ve lived out west my whole life.