Wildwood Cemetery is a
cemetery
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...
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
Lycoming County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 114,188. Its county seat is Williamsport.
Lycoming County comprises the Williamsport metropolitan statistical area.
About northwest o ...
.
The cemetery is split in two by Wildwood Boulevard. East Wildwood contains the cemeteries,
crematorium
A crematorium or crematory is a venue for the cremation of the dead. Modern crematoria contain at least one cremator (also known as a crematory, retort or cremation chamber), a purpose-built furnace. In some countries a crematorium can also b ...
, 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.
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.
Notable people buried at Wildwood
*
James Gamble (died 1883)
*
Peter Herdic
Peter Herdic (1824–1888) was a lumber baron, entrepreneur, inventor, politician, and philanthropist in Victorian era Williamsport, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. He was the youngest of seven children born to Henry and Eli ...
(died 1888)
*
Robert Porter Allen (died 1890)
*
Henry Clay McCormick (died 1902)
*
Elias Deemer
Elias Deemer (January 3, 1838 – March 29, 1918) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
Biography
Elias Deemer was born near Durham, Pennsylvania. He was engaged in the mercantile business in Lycoming ...
(died 1918)
*
Edgar Raymond Kiess
Edgar Raymond Kiess (August 26, 1875 – July 20, 1930) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
Biography
Kiess was born in Warrensville, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the Lycoming County Normal School ...
(died 1930)
*
Bucky Veil (died 1931)
*
Herman T. Schneebeli
Herman Theodore Schneebeli (July 7, 1907 – May 6, 1982) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
Herman Schneebeli was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania to Barbara (née Schneider) and Alfred Schneebe ...
(died 1982)
*
Bob Pellegrini (died 2008)
See also
*
List of cemeteries in Pennsylvania
*
List of cemeteries in the United States
This is a list of cemeteries in the United States. The list includes both active and historic sites, and does not include pet cemeteries. At the end of the list by states, cemeteries in territories of the United States are included. The list is ...
Nearby cemeteries
*
Highland Cemetery, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
References
{{coord, 41.251, -77.035, type:landmark_region:US-PA_dim:2000, display=title
Cemeteries in Pennsylvania