Beneath the bustling streets of South Philadelphia lies a forgotten city of souls. This is the story of New Saint Mary’s Cemetery. New Saint Mary’s Cemetery wasn’t the final resting place for these souls. It was more of a temporary stop on a longer journey. Originally, the cemetery was a patchwork of plots at 11th and Moore Streets. It became a sanctuary for those displaced from another St. Mary’s Cemetery, located at 13th and Budd (now Spruce) Streets. In May 1899, that older cemetery was sold. The unclaimed bodies were brought to New Saint Mary’s, adding another layer of history to this already sacred ground. New Saint Mary’s Cemetery pulsed with life from the 1840s to the 1880s. It served the South Philadelphia community, though loosely associated with Old Saint Mary’s Church in Old City. Ironically, many buried within its walls weren’t members of that parish. By 1910, neglect had taken its toll on New Saint Mary’s Cemetery. A fire, its date lost to time, ravaged the cemetery records, obscuring the identities of many interred there. The remaining souls weren’t forgotten. They were moved to Holy Cross Cemetery in Yeadon, Delaware County. There, they rest together in a mass grave. In a bittersweet turn, the site of New Saint Mary’s Cemetery became home to St. Maria Goretti High School for Girls (now Neumann-Goretti Catholic High School) in the 1950s. The memories of those who lay beneath now nurture the minds of future generations. Though the physical space is gone, echoes of New Saint Mary’s Cemetery still linger. Handwritten transcriptions from some of the tombstones offer glimpses into the lives lived. These records, alongside some surviving burial records from 1844-1878, are preserved at the Archdiocesan Historical Research Center in Wynnewood, Delaware County. They serve as a poignant reminder of a hidden chapter in Philadelphia’s history.
Центральный дом работников искусств
Step through the grand wooden doors of the Central House of the Workers of Art, and you’ll be transported to