Sinners and Scandals of Laurel Hill Cemetery

Founded in 1836, Laurel Hill Cemetery (East) was Philadelphia’s first rural cemetery, its serene beauty representing a cosmic shift in how Americans viewed death. It quickly became the place to spend eternity in Philadelphia. Today, Laurel Hill’s 75,000+ inhabitants include many of the Quaker City’s Great and Good, including Gettysburg victor General George Gordon Meade; “Mary Had a Little Lamb” author Sarah Josepha Hale; and beloved Phillies sportscaster Harry Kalas.

But Laurel Hill has a shadier, secretive side as well. Among its more controversial residents are:

• Henry Beck Hirst, the absinthe-addicted poet who ended his days in an insane asylum, convinced that his former friend Edgar Allan Poe had plagiarized his poem, “The Raven.”
• Mabel Tinley, the demure Philadelphia maiden who became one of the biggest grifters in Gay Nineties New York;
• Henry Morris Naglee, the Civil War general denounced in the press as “a slayer of innocence and a robber of chastity”;
• Martha Drinnan, spinster daughter of the cemetery superintendent, whose grisly death remains one of Laurel Hill’s enduring mysteries.

Thomas H. Keels will tell the spellbinding stories of some of thirteen unforgettable men and women memorialized in his book. He will offers insights into the history of this nineteenth-century necropolis, and its special place in Philadelphia history over the past 190 years.

This event is sponsored by Preserve Old Swedes. 100% of the proceeds will go toward the preservation of Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church and its historic grounds.

This program will take place inside the church sanctuary, followed by a reception in Riverside Hall. For a modest donation, you can taste delicious gourmet desserts paired with wine, coffee or tea and buy copies of Mr. Keels’ books.