Seeking an Afterlife: Philadelphia’s Historic Mount Vernon Cemetery Comes On the Market for $1M

Here’s an investment property where residents are dying to get in.

The historic Mount Vernon Cemetery in Philadelphia has recently come on the market offering a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to purchase the graveyard.

Listed for $1 million, the 26.7-acre lot is the burial ground of several members of the Drew and Barrymore families (actress Drew Barrymore‘s grandfather is said to be buried here), a Medal of Honor recipient, a Union Army officer, and professional sports figures.

Neglected and abandoned

However, after many years of neglect, the cemetery became subject to an action under the Abandoned and Blighted Property Conservatorship Act in 2021, removing the property owner’s control.

“It is part of a conservatorship,” says listing agent Hilary Lefkowitz-Karaman, of Modern Real Estate Partners @ Compass RE. “It’s a private cemetery owned by a private person, who hasn’t been able to take care of the property, so it went to conservatorship, but the owner still owns it.”

It’s under conservatorship with the Philadelphia Community Development Coalition, and any sale must be court-approved.

Huge undertaking

Taking stewardship of the historic resting place is a huge undertaking for any buyer.

“The optimal use is as a cemetery,” Lefkowitz-Karaman says. “Everything is subject to court approval as well. There are a number of vacant acres, but it is up to the buyer to do their due diligence.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that there are about 33,000 bodies buried on the property, along with “legions of ticks, swaths of poison ivy, stuffed animals that appear in the night, and visitors who come seeking guidance from the beyond or portals to another dimension.”

According to the cemetery’s website, a group of community members at the Mount Vernon Cemetery Conservation Company is raising funds for the court to approve its transfer to the tax-exempt nonprofit in order to restore it. The newspaper says the group needs $300,000, and has raised $65,000 so far.

Historic space

The cemetery was established in 1856, and new plots haven’t been offered since 1968. It features a striking gated archway and gatehouse building that was designed by architect and landscape gardener John Notman.

“The gatehouse is in need of a complete rehab,” the agent notes. “It’s a shell now and will require a complete renovation. Again, the buyer will have to do their due diligence.”

According to the listing, “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.”