Jump to content

Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery

Coordinates: 39°45′03″N 75°33′12″W / 39.7508°N 75.5533°W / 39.7508; -75.5533
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery
Map
Details
Established1843
Location
701 Delaware Avenue, Wilmington, Delaware
CountryUnited States
Coordinates39°45′03″N 75°33′12″W / 39.7508°N 75.5533°W / 39.7508; -75.5533
Typeprivate
Size25 acres
No. of graves21,000+
Websitehttp://wilmingtonbrandywinecemetery.org/
Find a GraveWilmington and Brandywine Cemetery
Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery

Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery is a rural cemetery at 701 Delaware Avenue in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1843, it contains over 21,000 burials on about 25 acres.

History

[edit]
Soldier's Graveplot where 121 U.S. Civil War soldiers are buried

The cemetery was envisioned in 1843 by Sam Wollaston, who sought to establish one of Delaware's first non-sectarian cemeteries on 10 acres of his farm, which was outside the city of Wilmington at the time.[1] His venture was quickly a success, and the following year, Wollaston formed a company to expand and landscape the site with Willard Hall serving as president. Engineer George Read Riddle was hired to design the cemetery.[2] In 1850, James Canby planted an imported cedar of Lebanon at the entrance of the cemetery.[3]

One corner of the cemetery, named Soldier's Graveplot, contains the remains of 121 U.S. Civil War soldiers who died from their wounds or war-related illnesses at the old Delaware Hospital.

Chapel at Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery, August 2019
Interior of chapel June 1914

The cemetery's chapel, designed by architect Elijah Dallett Jr.,[4] was built in 1913 of Foxcroft stone with window sills of Indiana limestone.[5]

In 1917, the cemetery received remains originally interred at the 18th-century First Presbyterian Church in Wilmington's Rodney Square. The church was moved to Park Drive to make room for a new library.[6]

In 2014, the cemetery launched the Eternal Rest 5K Walk/Run to raise money to maintain the cemetery.[7]

Notable burials

[edit]
Map of Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Wilmington & Brandywine Cemetery". www.wilmingtonbrandywinecemetery.org. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  2. ^ Scharf, John Thomas (1888). History of Delaware: 1609–1888. Philadelphia: L.J. Richards & Co. p. 845. Retrieved 28 July 2019. wilmington and brandywine cemetery.
  3. ^ Maynard, W. Barksdale (2015). The Brandywine: An Intimate Portrait. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-8122-4677-3. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  4. ^ "Our Chapel". www.wilmingtonbrandywinecemetery.org. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  5. ^ The Modern Cemetery. Allied Arts Publishing Company. June 1914. p. 106. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  6. ^ Milford, Maureen. "Cemetery offers a lasting history". www.delawareonline.com. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  7. ^ Connor, Krista. "Storied Past, Spirited Future". www.outandaboutnow.com. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
[edit]