Wildwood Cemetery
Details
Established1863
Location
Loyalsock Township, Pennsylvania
Size340 acres
No. of gravesOver 72,000

Wildwood Cemetery is a cemetery located in Loyalsock Township, Pennsylvania just north of the city of Williamsport. Wildwood was established in 1863 as the main cemetery for Williamsport and its surrounding communities. With a size of 340 acres it is the largest cemetery by size and grave count in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.[1][2]

The cemetery is split in two by Wildwood Boulevard. East Wildwood contains the cemeteries, crematorium, offices, and all of the larger public mausoleum. West Wildwood is where the military memorial and monument are located, as well as the Praying Hands mausoleum.[3]

The cemetery has an "escape burial hatch". Thomas Pursell, a local firefighter, wanted a burial arrangement for which he or his family could escape in case they were prematurely buried. The resulting design was heavily documented by media in Williamsport and the surrounding areas. There have been six other such hatched built in surrounding cemeteries based on Pursell's original.[4][5]

Notable people buried at Wildwood

Wildwood Cemetery, c. 1909

See also

Nearby cemeteries

References

  1. ↑ "Wildwood Cemetery and Crematorium". Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Wildwood Cemetery, Williamsport, Lycoming Co, PA". www.usgennet.org. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Lycoming County Genealogical Society Store – Cemetery Records". www.lycominglineage.org. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  4. ↑ "This Escape Hatch Prevents People From Dying if Accidentally Buried Alive". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  5. ↑ S, Leo (April 1, 2019). "Thomas Pursell's and Wildwood Cemetery of Williamsport, Pennsylvania". Random Times. Retrieved May 13, 2020.

41°15′04″N 77°02′06″W / 41.251°N 77.035°W / 41.251; -77.035

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