Things to do nearChrist Church Burial Ground

Christ Church Burial Ground opened in 1719 as an overflow cemetery for Christ Church, one of the oldest Anglican congregations in colonial America. The original church, founded in 1695, quickly outgrew its attached graveyard, and the city block on Arch Street became the designated burial space for Philadelphia's Anglican community during a period when the city was emerging as one of the most influential urban centers in the British colonies. The grounds cover roughly a city block and contain the remains of more than four thousand individuals, though only a fraction of the graves are marked with legible stones.

Benjamin Franklin, who died in 1790, rests here alongside his wife Deborah, and their grave near the Arch Street wall has become one of the most visited spots in Philadelphia. Four other signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried within these walls, including Francis Hopkinson and Joseph Hewes, lending the site a density of historical significance that few places in the country can match. Visitors walk among stones dating to the early eighteenth century, reading epitaphs that reflect the formal language and religious sensibility of the colonial period.

The grounds are managed by the nonprofit organization that oversees Christ Church, and periodic conservation work helps preserve the fragile slate and marble markers. The surrounding neighborhood, part of Old City Philadelphia, is rich with related historical sites, museums, and architecture, making a visit to Christ Church Burial Ground a natural anchor for a broader exploration of the city's founding-era landscape. For anyone interested in early American history, this quiet enclosure offers a rare and genuinely moving encounter with the people who shaped the nation.