Cemetery For Sale

Welcome to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a piece of Philadelphia's rich history.    The Historic Mount Vernon Cemetery located at the intersection of Ridge Avenue and W. Lehigh Avenue (3301 W. Lehigh Avenue) is now available for sale.  According to the City's survey, the property contains 1,166,987 sq. ft. (26.79032 acres). The Cemetery is the final resting place of numerous famous Pennsylvanians and their families including members of the Drew and Barrymore families, revolutionary and civil war veterans and other prominent persons.  The Cemetery’s entrance sports an impressive, gated archway and associated gatehouse building designed by notable architect and landscape gardener John Notman. The gatehouse building is in shell condition and will require full renovation.    Buyers must conduct their own due diligence to determine whether there is any unused burial land remaining among Cemetery’s over 26 acres.   The buyer of the Cemetery will also receive financial support through restricted plot trust funds for maintaining the Cemetery in perpetuity under the supervision of Philadelphia Orphans’ Court and the Pennsylvania Attorney General.    A copy of the Survey Plan of Property is available upon request.  The Property is being sold in as-is, where-is condition.   All offers are subject to court review and approval. Buyer responsible to obtain any/all municipal certifications, etc.  All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified.

$1,000,000.  I'm thinking of buying.  
Move the headstones.  Build some housing.  

Click below for the listing...

Blight

 At dawn from my damp garden
    I shook the chilly dew;
The thin boughs locked behind me
    That sprang to let me through;         
The blossoms slept,—I sought a place
    Where nothing lovely grew.

- Edna St. Vincent Millay

Image by gelbelektrofahrzeuge.

The Weeds

We called her old house The Weeds.  To this day I have never seen a home so entirely overgrown with what I think was every variety of weed and creeping vine that has ever existed.  Dandelions, crabgrass, sumac, ragweed, and thistle all grew to sizes unseen by most people.  There was an old rock garden which now appeared to be an ancient weathered graveyard, the stones coated in layers of colorful moss and fungus.  And the mushrooms.  In every dark spot under the old wild shrubs and tired branches of dying trees you could see them.  Hundreds and hundreds of bleach-white mushrooms.

During the day, the house existed in perpetual dusk due to the constant shade from the parapet of trees surrounding the property.  Crickets' calls were long and low, like the croaking of frogs.  We imagined a large swamp somewhere around the back of the place, though none of us ever dared to confirm this fact.  Well, until the day Sonny disappeared.

To be continued...

Image source.

Overgrown

Image by duluoz cats.

Rest

Image by marley1027.

Weeds And Graves

I prefer my cemeteries overgrown.
This is really beautiful.


Image by The Goat Whisperer.

Halloween Horticulture

Drove past a house and saw that they had old dried vines growing around and onto the porch. They looked like grape vines. They also had a row of tomato plants that had withered and browned along the walk to the front porch. It got me thinking about the different plants that a person could grow through the year with the goal of having gnarly nasty old dried up creepy plants for Halloween night. The tomatoes were still on the vine and they looked like mini green and red pumpkins. The brown leaves and vines were brittle and thinning. I imagined jack o'lanterns at the base of them and how they'd look at night.

I love the idea of an overgrown property on Halloween night (or one made to look like it was overgrown and neglected). Even dirty old terra cotta pots overflowing with dried vines and wrinkled tomatoes could be placed around a haunt. I'd imagine it'd add instant atmosphere.


Image source.