Easton Cemetery

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Easton, PA
Easton Cemetery

Est 1849. Easton, PA. National Register of Historic Places. Grounds open daily. Office by appt. to 2:00 p.m. to dusk, weather permitting.

Hours of Operation (Winter 2026):

Easton Cemetery Office will be open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. Appointments outside of these hours are available upon request. Please call 610-252-1741 or email [email protected]. The cemetery grounds are open daily (including holidays) from 8 a.m. We are an active cemetery, in operation since 1849. Easton Cemetery is representative of

the movement in the mid-1800s to create park-like spaces that served as burial sites and recreational opportunities. Land within the cities and towns was used for development. In the city of Easton, Dr. Traill Green recognized this need and the necessity of good sanitation. He prompted the local citizens to buy land outside what was then the city limits and Easton Cemetery was created. In the early days visiting the cemetery on a weekend was so popular that people had to have a ticket to get in with their horse and carriage! In addition to George Taylor, signer of the Declaration of Independence, the cemetery has a long list of notable people in history with interesting stories from stage actress to politician to founder of Lafayette College.

🌳 84 acres of rolling hills
🪦 42,000+ permanent residents
🇺🇸 3,600+ veterans
📚history
🖼️ funerary art
🦌 wildlife
👨🏽‍🌾 🧑‍🏫volunteers always needed
🐶 leashed dogs welcome

Self-guided walking tour booklets are free and available on the porch of the Superintendent’s House located at the front gate of the cemetery at the top of N. 7th Street.

09/06/2026

Wishing you a happy and restful Labor Day weekend. 🍃

If you find yourself wandering our grounds, keep an eye out for our QR codes where you can learn more about some of our permanent residents.

Our grounds are also full of art, symbolism and sculpture. This one, "Urn on a Cairn, Dripping with Roses," is certainly worth a second look. 🌹

09/04/2026

Join us for a conversation about "Gravesites from the 1700s to the Present" with Tony L. Moore, Program Director, Funeral Service Education Program, Northampton Community College and Ed Dougherty, volunteer coordinator for the rebirth of Oaklands Cemetery, founded in 1854, in West Chester, PA

📆 Saturday, September 12, 10:00 AM
📍Friends Room in the Easton Area Public Library
💻 Register here: www.eastonpl.org

About the program:
Gravestones have changed over time for many reasons. Tony Moore returns to EAPL to explore how grave markers have evolved in design, craftsmanship, and cost, with a special focus on the history and significance of cradle (French Garden) graves.

Ed Dougherty will follow with a discussion on the care and preservation of gravestones, sharing insights into cleaning methods, restoration techniques, and the importance of cemetery conservation.

This program is free to attend, but pre-registration is encouraged. Weather permitting, a walk through Easton Cemetery may follow the talk.

The program is hosted by the Easton Area Public Library and is sponsored by the Friends of EAPL and the Friends of Historic Easton Cemetery.

09/03/2026

# 29 GEORGE OLIVER BARCLAY (Sec. D, # 240)
Born: May 16, 1875 | Died: April 3, 1909

George Barclay was inducted individually into the Lafayette College Maroon Club Hall of Fame in 1984–85 and again as a member of the 1896 national champion team in 2012–13. 🎓

Nicknamed “Rose,” Barclay is credited with inventing the first American football helmet in 1894. He learned football at Bucknell Academy before coming to Lafayette. At 5’9” and 160 pounds, Barclay was smaller than many players and concerned about the cauliflower ears common among players of the era. Football offered little protection beyond shin guards or knitted caps. ⛑

Barclay worked with a local harness-maker to create headgear made of three leather straps with padding to protect his ears. He gained national recognition during Lafayette’s October 24, 1896, game against Penn. Lafayette upset the previously unbeaten national powerhouse before 12,000 fans, with Barclay scoring a touchdown and kicking a two-point conversion in the final minutes. 🏈⏰

The celebration faded when Lehigh refused to play Lafayette that year, claiming Barclay was ineligible because he had played professional baseball during the summer. Lafayette considered this permissible under an athletic agreement, but Lehigh disagreed. As a result, 1896 was the only year the schools did not play their historic football rivalry. Barclay later attended dental school and became a dentist. He died of appendicitis in 1909.

Lafayette football also holds an important place in civil rights history. The 1948 team was invited to the 1949 Sun Bowl, but the bowl barred African American players. David Showell, a Black player and World War II pilot who had trained with the Tuskegee Airmen, was excluded. Showell urged the team to play without him, but Lafayette declined the invitation. The entire student body supported the decision. Lafayette never played in a bowl game.

08/28/2026

📚 What: Silent Book Club

⏰ When: Sunday, Aug 30, 2026, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

📍Where: Historic Easton Cemetery, 401 N. 7th St, Easton. Meet by the Traill Green statue just inside the front gate.

🪦What to Expect: Read in silence, together. A silent reading club is meant to bring people to read together without the pressure of participating in a discussion or “having to read the book.” Bring a book, a blanket, some shades, and join fellow readers for our monthly silent book club.

Hosted by the Friends of Historic Easton Cemetery (FHEC). Note: Although an FHEC member may be there, the event is set up to run on its own.

08/27/2026

Update: 8/30/26 🚨
This workshop is now full! We'll be offering more in the spring. Stay tuned.

Class is limited to 20 students. Each participant will receive hands on instruction during the two-hour workshop, printed instructions, and a cleaning kit which you can leave or keep. After completing the workshop, you will receive an ID card* which will permit you to clean gravestones in the future. Details about future gravestone cleaning will be discussed at the workshop!

For additional questions about the event or our Gravestone Cleaning program in general, please contact our program lead. e: [email protected]

** REGISTRATION CLOSES 9/15 or until class is full **

https://www.thehistoriceastoncemetery.org/event-details-registration/gravestone-cleaning-workshop-september-20

08/26/2026

National Dog Day! We're happy to have partnered with our local animal shelter The Center for Animal Health & Welfare on multiple events through the years and that our cemetery welcomes dogs every day! 🐾

Please remember to pick up after your dog, and always keep them on the leash. Thank you!

08/21/2026

Thank you for sharing this photo with us. 🌈 Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

Built in 1917, the Easton Memorial Mausoleum is a classical Doric structure reflecting early 20th-century architecture. The Doric structure is the oldest and simplest of the classic orders of Greek architecture, like the Pantheon in Athens.

📸: Timothy Smith

08/19/2026

# 28 FRANCIS A. MARCH, JR. (Sec. K, # 52)
Born: Mar. 2, 1863 | Died: Feb. 28, 1928

Francis March, Jr. was one of nine children of Francis A. March Sr. and Mildred Stone Conway. He graduated from Easton High School in three years and enrolled in Lafayette College. He was valedictorian of his class of 1881 and went on to earn MA honors in 1884. He was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa, senior honorary fraternity. He was a member of the Franklin Literary Society and Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. 👨‍🎓

🎉 We want to congratulate Francis A. March, Jr. who has just been named to the Lafayette Maroon Club Hall of Fame Class of 2026 - 2027! March, class of 1881, is being recognized as the earliest pioneer of Lafayette athletics! 🎉

He joined the Lafayette faculty as a mathematics tutor, but followed in his father's footsteps and became a professor of English Literature in 1884. After his father's retirement in 1906 March became the Francis A. March professor of the English Language, teaching the same courses his father had given. 🎓

March Jr. was an avid fan of athletics at Lafayette, earning him the title of "Father of Football" at the College. 🏈 He chaired the athletic committee for over 20 years. During this period, he led the fundraising efforts to purchase land for athletic events. On June 19, 1894, March Field was dedicated in his honor. It was the Lafayette baseball, football and track field through the 1925 season. He wrote the book, “Athletics at Lafayette College" published in 1926. 📚

March also served as Mayor of Easton from 1905 - 1908. He ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1912. 🏛 He died suddenly of a heart attack while dining at the Faculty Club, just short of his 65th birthday.

Address

401 N. 7th Street
Easton, PA
18042

Website

http://thehistoriceastoncemetery.org/

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