Event – Detail

Mr. Snyder covers a range of topics related to abandoned and forgotten burial grounds in and around Philadelphia. Specifically, he will focus on recent discoveries, their status, and the 200 unmarked burial grounds that reside under Philadelphia’s streets, parking lots, and playgrounds. As the city grew, there were debacles when cemeteries were destroyed, but there are also recent success stories, where faltering cemeteries have been stabilized and restored by volunteers. What happens when developers accidentally dig up human remains? What happens to the bodies and gravestones when a cemetery is moved? What sort of genealogical challenges does all this present? Should we care? Ben Franklin said, “Show me your cemeteries and I will tell you what kind of people you have.”

Author and artist Ed Snyder has been exploring, photographing, researching, and writing about cemeteries since the dawn of the 21st century. He is the author of the blog, The Cemetery Traveler, and has just published a new book, Abandoned and Forgotten Cemeteries of Philadelphia and its Environs (Fonthill, 2025). He served on the board of directors of Philadelphia’s Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery for fourteen years.