National Register of Historic Places

LeMoyne Crematory

Washington, Washington County, Pennsylvania
Listed
February 16, 1996
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
96000078

About this property

The LeMoyne Crematory was the first crematory in the United States. Francis Julius LeMoyne had it built in 1876 on his own land, perched atop a location known locally as Gallow's Hill in North Franklin Township near Washington, Pennsylvania. The first cremation took place on December 6, 1876. LeMoyne believed that cremation was a more sanitary way to dispose of bodies, preventing the contamination of drinking water. After 41 more cremations there (with LeMoyne being the third, in 1879), the crematory was closed in 1901. LeMoyne's remains are buried there.

Location

Washington, Washington County, Pennsylvania
40.16067, -80.23753

Categories

HEALTH/MEDICINESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Washington Armory
Civil War
0.5 mi
LeMoyne, F. Julius, House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Lemoyne, Dr. Julius, House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Trinity Hall
Industrial
0.7 mi
Bradford, David, House
Early Republic
0.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was LeMoyne Crematory listed on the National Register?

LeMoyne Crematory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 16, 1996.

What type of historic resource is LeMoyne Crematory?

LeMoyne Crematory is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for LeMoyne Crematory?

The period of significance for LeMoyne Crematory is recorded as the industrial era.

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