Woodlawn Cemetery

I am currently working with the owner to have a grave marker placed for a relative who died in 1912 and two other graves in the plot repaired (stones are from 1916 and 1909.) The reviews above are disheartening, no question. I did a little research. First, this is a private cemetery, not maintained by a church or "association." The gentleman who owns it bought it from the previous owner, his father was a caretaker there and he helped his dad when he was young. He is a veteran, (from the timing, I am thinking Vietnam but don't know for sure,) and purchased the cemetery from the previous owner when he returned home after the war. He has been taking care of it all this time. There are no perpetual care funds anymore and he takes care of this cemetery with volunteers. There are few active burials there anymore, maybe one or two a year. The cemetery is not a moneymaker for him. He stated that sadly, when he is unable to care for it, the cemetery may likely become abandoned. Honestly, who wants to buy a cemetery that doesn't make any money?? And it's not in a great area of town either although the cemetery itself seems safe, I had no concerns in the cemetery itself when I was there. There has been vandalism to the grounds and some of the stones.

Expecting things to be terrible based on my conversation with the owner, I was pleasantly surprised when I visited in June, 2023. My family's plot does lie in a section outside the main area, down near the woods-line. The graves where not overgrown and mowing had obviously been done. It was easy to spot them - and this was true for graves all the way to the woods line itself. I saw no graves in this area "hidden" in the brushy area at the border. I will be paying the owner to repair two of the stones and order and place a third one.

Do they always answer the main number, no, there is no staff of "employees," only him. Leave a detailed message and he will call you back, it might be in the evening. He is not there in that office everyday. If you have to call back a few times, be nice, and patient. He is a nice guy and at this point in his life, maintaining this on his own for no income because he cares. It's a lot for one person to take care of. Send a donation to help out - even $25 helps for gas for the mower. And he NEVER has asked, I will just try to do this a couple times during the year in honor of my loved ones that are there.

Want to help - contact him if you live in the area, maybe you can set up to volunteer there. I live out of state so I am trying other avenues. I have written to the Western PA Genealogy Society and the Western PA Historical Society to see what avenues MIGHT be available to help save this cemetery. It might be nothing more than a place to donate records so at least the information isn't lost even if the ground might be one day. Write your government officials - as a state, PA has terrible laws surrounding the preservation of burial grounds. Laws even allow land to be purchased and developers to build over it in some cases! I was shocked. State laws vary on this subject and PA is in the bottom tier of states on protections.

Anyway, just thought I'd add more info to anyone looking at this who has relatives there. Yes, the cemetery is in bad shape in some parts (the inner sections are still pretty nice overall), and who knows how it was managed in the past to get to this state, but all we can deal with is the present and the future. The current owner is trying and DOES care about this ground... please be considerate, that's all.

I have been looking for my grandfather James C. Donald and found him at this cemetery.But I live in SC and don't know the condition. So if any one visits. Him please let me know.

It's an overgrown cemetery and very bad condition I believe there is no longer any interments there. Did some genealogy work in this cemetery. It needs to be photographed by billiongraves.
Established in 1863 there is over 300,000 Graves here. It has a historical landmark marker and should be maintained.

The Google maps directions currently are horrible. Take Penn to Highland Way for the entrance. Not well kept at all with serious road issues within.

I cant see a street veiw wow

I find the maintenance and up-keep of this cemetery to be extremely poor. Several times between April and November I go to take care of my loved ones graves only to find that the maintenance is only done in the center area of the cemetery. Grass around most of the headstones as not been trimmed for up to a year.

My cousin and I literally had to use machetes to cut back the bamboo shoots to find our Grandfather’s gravesite. There were dozens of unkept graves in the immediate area that we found, but if you didn’t know that they were there, you would never know. We will be examining our options and finding a way to bring this to the light

The road is barely passable. Grass is overgrown, steps from roadway in bad condition. Flat grave markers overgrown. Looks abandoned. Pathetic. Eternal care, I think not.

Sickening to see this is how loved ones are treated!