Guide to Pittsburgh cemeteries

History buffs will want to explore Pittsburgh cemeteries. From ancient burial mounds to expansive mausoleums in manicured grounds and solemn national sites for veterans, here are some of Pittsburgh's best-known cemeteries.

Homewood Cemetery
1599 S. Dallas Ave.
412-421-1822

Now a favorite of joggers, bird watchers and professionals and students seeking a soothing spot to eat lunch, Homewood was created in the late 1800s. It is replete with a historic Lawn Park landscape, imposing mausoleums and architecturally significant buildings and monuments. Placed in Point Breeze, Homewood is bordered by Frick Park, the neighborhood of Squirrel Hill and one of the smaller Pittsburgh cemeteries, Smithfield East End Cemetery. Henry J. Heinz, the ketchup company founder, is buried here.

American Indian burial mound in McKees Rocks

One of the oldest cemeteries in the area is the Indian burial mound in McKees Rocks. Located at the confluence of Chartiers Creek and the Ohio River four miles south of downtown Pittsburgh, only a vestige of this 2,300-year-old burial mound remains.

It's believed to be associated with the Adena and Hopewell cultures, according to the Ohio River Trail Council, which stated, "The mound stands as a reminder that there have been other great and proud civilizations on this land."

Allegheny Cemetery
4734 Butler St.
412-682-1624

More than 117,000 people have been laid to rest in the sprawling Allegheny Cemetery, founded in 1844. A 300-acre site with 15 miles of roadways, this cemetery is revered for its scenery and a wide array of bronze, granite and marble sculptures. Among the notables buried there are songwriter Stephen Foster (the father of American Music), actress and singer Lillian Russell, Negro Leagues' great Josh Gibson and Thomas Mellon, founder of Mellon Bank. Many war heroes have also been laid to rest in Allegheny Cemetery, along with the unidentified remains of the 54 victims of 1862 Allegheny Arsenal explosion.

Calvary Catholic Cemetery
718 Hazelwood Ave.
412-421-9959

Founded in 1886 by the Diocese of Pittsburgh, today Calvary Catholic includes two striking chapel mausoleums, a large crypt garden development and Shepherd's Rest, a mausoleum set aside for the entombment of bishops of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

The National Cemetery of the Alleghenies
1158 Morgan Road, Bridgeville
724-746-4363

Twenty miles southwest of Pittsburgh, this 292-acre national military is reserved for burials of veterans and their families. It began burials in August 2005.

Allegheny Observatory
The ashes of renowned astronomer John Brashear and his wife, Phoebe, are interred at the Allegheny Observatory in Riverview Park on Pittsburgh's North Side. Their crypt lies below the observatory and bears this inscription:

"Though my soul may set in darkness;
it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too fondly
to be fearful of the night."

For more information:
Allegheny Cemetery, Images of America is part of the Arcadias Images of America series published in 2016 and sold by the cemetery to support its historical association.

Cox Media Group