Laurel Hill

Wishing you all a ! 🇺🇸

Today, we honor and recognize the American labor movement. And a big thank you to all of the Laurel Hill employees who handle hard conversations, work long hours, and through all kinds of weather to provide compassion and support to the wonderful families we serve during times of need.

Our offices are closed today for the holiday. We can still be reached any time at 610.668.9900.

Give your family peace of mind and begin your pre-planning journey today. Only 5 days remain to take advantage of our 0% financing offer for 3 years on all pre-need cemetery property. Contact us today to learn more: 610-668-9900.
This offer applies to both Laurel Hill East and Laurel Hill West. Offer expires Saturday, August 31st.

Happy ! Here are just a few of our furry visitors to make you smile as we celebrate these pawsome companions 🐾 🐕

The main entrance gates to Laurel Hill East will be closed on Monday, August 26th and Tuesday, August 27th due to the ongoing rehabilitation of the historic Gatehouse. For access to the cemetery during this closure, please use the Hunting Park entrance. To learn more about the Gatehouse project and other beautification initiatives throughout Laurel Hill, you may visit our Work in Progress page at https://laurelhillphl.com/plan-your-visit/work-in-progress/.

We're here at the Dog Days of Summer event on Main Street in Manayunk for an afternoon of pet-friendly vendors and activities. 🐶🐾 Stop by our booth to say hello to Eric and Tish, learn more about our pet services, and pick up some free swag for your doggos! Manayunk.com

Have you recently been to Laurel Hill East and noticed the work being done on our historic Gatehouse? We're currently in the process of rehabilitating this iconic 188-year-old building - the last remaining original structure in the cemetery built by notable architect John Notman.

The Local has the latest on the progress of the rehabilitation. Read more here: https://nwlocalpaper.com/epic-renewal-at-laurel-hill

Drop into a profound inward journey as the sun sets at Laurel Hill West on Saturday, August 10th. 🧘‍♂️

During MindTravel, a live-to-headphones 'silent' piano concert, renowned composer and pianist Murray Hidary transports attendees to a world of tranquility, weaving music and mindfulness. Presented with generous support from City Ave District. To purchase tickets: https://laurelhillphl.com/event/mindtravel/
! 🌅 🎹 🎧 Friends of Laurel Hill

A few of our staff members went to Women’s Animal Center today for a lunch and learn with WAC’s Veterinary Hospital medical team and their customer services representatives. Tom and Eric educated them on all things The Laurels, which included an overview of our end-of-life pet services, memorial offerings, and what Aquamation is, how it works, and the benefits compared to traditional cremation. Thanks for having us Women's Animal Center! 🐾 🧡

Join us and Philly Goat Project for the 3rd annual GOAToberFest fundraiser!

📣 ANNOUNCEMENT! 📣 Tickets are now available for our biggest fundraiser of the year, GOAToberFest at West on Sunday, October 6th from 3pm-5pm!

This year, our friend is hosting, so it’s going to be the GOAT!

🐐 Meet the goats
🗓️ 2025 calendar launch (yes, that’s right, you’ll be the first to lay eyes on our 2025 calendar! Our host Dominique is actually featured as one of the months!)
🎃 Award for best costume
🍹 Snacks & specialty drinks
🖼️ Raffle to win art created by the goats
👕 Exclusive PGP swag for sale
🔥 Fire pits & s’mores
👟 Tour of historic Laurel Hill West

Plus, we have more surprises planned!

Tickets are $75 per person. Limited tickets are available, so get yours ASAP (we’ve sold out two years in a row; you’ve been warned)!

If you love all the work we do in the community, now is the time to support us. 💚

Get tickets here: https://www.phillygoatproject.org/event-details/goatoberfest-2024

Interested in sponsoring the event or providing a donation for our raffles? Please send us a DM!

⚠️ Beginning Thursday, August 1 through mid-October, Laurel Hill will begin improvements to Cameo Drive - a .3 mile spur of the regional Circuit Trails Network adjacent to the Cynwyd Heritage Trail’s Barmouth Gateway.

During this time, the cemetery’s Barmouth Gateway will be CLOSED to all pedestrians and cyclists. Several roads surrounding the construction site will be CLOSED to vehicular and pedestrian traffic as well.

Signage and cones will be placed to clearly demarcate inaccessible areas. For your safety during construction, please obey all signage and respect Laurel Hill’s road closures.

For more information: https://laurelhillphl.com/plan-your-visit/work-in-progress/

On Friday, we welcomed over 75 horticulture interns from 11 different local gardens and arboretums for a work day at Laurel Hill West. Throughout the day, projects included garden maintenance, weeding, invasive vine removal, mulching, and more.
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This intern outreach day was started as an annual event to bring interns together from regional public gardens. The goal is to give the students an opportunity to learn, meet, and network, as well as work on projects to help another regional garden or horticultural institution - giving the gift of their time and talents.
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Thank you to all who participated in this successful day!
Longwood Gardens
Arboretum at Haverford College
James G. Kaskey Memorial Park - The BioPond
Stoneleigh: a natural garden
Delaware Center for Horticulture
Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library
Morris Arboretum & Gardens of the University of Pennsylvania
Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens
Mt. Cuba Center
Chanticleer Garden

Stop thinking about it...start your pre-planning journey today. We're currently offering 0% financing for 3 years on all pre-need cemetery arrangements now through August 31st. Contact our care team today to learn more - 610-668-9900.

👀 Thanks Visit Philly for listing Laurel Hill East as having one of the 31 Best Views in Greater Philadelphia! Our gates are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily for you to take in stunning views overlooking Kelly Drive and the Schuylkill River. https://www.visitphilly.com/articles/philadelphia/views/

Today, we planted a native Persimmon fruit tree to celebrate and honor the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. 🌱

The tradition is to plant a fruit tree or a native tree to represent the well-being of all, with an emphasis on fruit trees in support of food production for vulnerable communities. 🌳

This day is a call to action for individuals, communities, and organizations to take time to reflect on Mandela's values and principles and to make a positive impact in their own communities. Everyone has the ability and the responsibility to change the world for the better, and Mandela Day is an occasion for all to take action and inspire change!

Join us and the Sustainable Business Network for their next GSI Partners Quarterly Meeting this Thursday, July 18th at Laurel Hill West. ♻️💧

Attendees will learn about our innovative approaches to conservation as a leader in green cemeteries as well as our stormwater management practices, including our rain gardens, through a presentation and tour. Guests will also hear about upcoming SBN programming and developments in GSI locally and statewide.

To learn more and register: https://laurelhillphl.com/events/partner-events/?utm_medium=lhsocial&utm_source=lhfacebook&utm_campaign=sbngsi

Laurel Hill Funeral Director & Funeral Services Manager Tasha Dugan was recently sworn in as a new board member with the PFDA - Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association as Quaker State District Governor!

In this leadership role, Tasha now represents Laurel Hill Funeral Home and the QSFDA - Quaker State Funeral Directors Association, Inc. with the PFDA. The association exists to inform and educate funeral directors, the public, and state representatives about the value of funeral services on a pre-, at-, and post-need basis in the state of PA.

Joining these associations to educate and increase awareness on current funeral home and industry practices, Dugan has been a proud member of the QSFDA for 14 years and a two-year member of the PFDA. Kudos to you, Tasha! 👏

Our offices will be closing at 2 p.m. today and will remain closed on Thursday, July 4th.

Wishing you all a safe and happy Independence Day! 🇺🇸

We are looking forward to assisting Wawa Welcome America and The Dell Music Center celebrate Black Music Month tomorrow evening with a dazzling firework display along the Schuylkill! You won’t want to miss it!!! 🎆 For more information on the event, visit https://shorturl.at/0Sxn8

Thank you for supporting the Friends of Laurel Hill! This grant will allow us to continue to serve our local community and beyond through art and culture!

Happy ! ☀️

Tag us in your best summer sunshine photos of the cemetery!

Earlier today, we had the pleasure of volunteering at New Horizons Senior Center for their annual Volunteer Appreciation luncheon! A fun day was had by all, and we even had the chance to chat with Rep. Mary Jo Daley.

Our commitment to sustainability extends to all areas of our organization, including land conservation and ecological restoration. If you’ve driven past Laurel Hill East along Kelly Drive, you’ve most likely noticed the landscape changes along the steeply sloped hillside of the cemetery.
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For the past few years, we have been reimagining this area of the hillside to replace invasive plants of little ecological value with new native meadows and shrubs that will invite native wildlife to the site! The vision of this project has been to create an ecologically sensitive design, leading to the establishment of a new native landscape that provides food and refuge for wildlife and reduces erosion to decrease stormwater runoff along the frontage of Kelly Drive.
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The next phase of this plan will allow us to extend our ecological restoration – removing invasive species, stabilizing the hillside, and planting native grasses and forbs – further north along the steep hillside that connects the cemetery with Kelly Drive and the Schuylkill River.

Home of the free, because of the brave 🇺🇸

Today, we honor and remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service and gave their lives for our freedom. May their courage inspire us to live with purpose and gratitude.

Wishing you a meaningful and memorable Memorial Day!

In honor of PA Native Species Day today, our Arboretum team planted 5 native trees in Laurel Hill West’s green burial areas. Both Bala Green and Nature’s Sanctuary are managed as 100% native plant landscapes that include perennials, shrubs, and trees.
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Today in Bala Green, a native Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis, was planted on one of our 10 “Tree Feature lots” which offers eternal rest in association with a native flowering understory tree. In Nature’s Sanctuary, the team planted a Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica), two American Hollies (Ilex opaca) and a Blackjack Oak (Quercus marilandica) as part of the stewarded ecological succession of that area from an open sunny meadow to a native woodland.
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These native trees will beautify our green burial areas while contributing to the ecological value of our landscape for decades (even centuries!) to come.

We were excited to recently welcome team members from The Woodlawn Cemetery & Conservancy, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass to Laurel Hill as they continue their year-long effort to learn more about mausoleum stained-glass windows. We love collaborating with other historical cemeteries around the country! You can learn more about their project in this recent New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/03/realestate/woodlawn-mausoleum-stained-glass.html

Wishing a very Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's that are still with us, new mother's, and the mom's we miss greatly. 💐🩷

Anna Jarvis (1864-1948), the founder of Mother’s Day, is laid to rest at Laurel Hill West. Her mother, Ann (who is buried beside Anna), had frequently expressed a desire to establish such a holiday, and after her mother's death, Jarvis led the movement for the commemoration. In a surprising turn of events, she ultimately ended up campaigning for the legal cancellation of Mother’s Day. Read more about Anna’s story in the latest issue of our newsletter, The Connection: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/68688955/the-connection-spring-2024

We’re at Kaiserman JCC today until noon for Rep. Mary Jo Daley’s annual Senior Fair! Visit our table to learn more about end-of-life care options, our 265-acre arboretum, and upcoming programs hosted at Laurel Hill. There’s numerous other vendors including veterans’ organizations, insurance providers, community organizations and more. There’s something here for every senior!