The Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has been the site of some pretty inspiring brush clearing lately. How can clearing land be inspiring, you might ask? Well, when a group of volunteers works to reclaim a sacred space from weeds and brush, it certainly is inspiring.
The Mount Moriah Cemetery is a sprawling 200-acre burial ground that has been in existence since 1855. It is the final resting place of veterans of the American Revolution, the Spanish-American War, the War of 1812, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. But, despite all the heros buried here, the cemetery fell into disrepair when it was essentially abandoned in 2011. As a result of government budget cuts, the cemetery stopped being maintained, and weeds, grass, trees, and vines grew up over the age-old headstones.
Ken Smith, a passionate volunteer with the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery, says “It’s just an absolute crime that the grounds are in the shape that they are. These guys are heros, and they need to be treated as such. We want to help preserve American history.”
To do that, they volunteer their time to clear this land and reveal the headstones that years of neglect have obscured. “They need to be honored, not hidden in 6 to 8-foot tall weeds and brush,” says Smith.