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The Woodlands is a 54 acre historic cemetery that serves as an active cemetery and a community green space that is visited by over 150,000 people a year. Originally part of the estate of William Hamilton, it has remained an important horticultural site for over 200 years.
Formerly a 600-acre estate on the west banks of the Schuylkill, its stable and mansion still exist today as “living history of Philadelphia,” said Emma Max, program and operation manager at The Woodlands.
It also remains the site of many “cradle graves,” which have been transformed into gardens by 150 volunteers who tend to them in a way that families in the Victorian Era would have done.
“The cradle grave like the one behind me are all across the site. At that time, they were all empty, just had dirt or grass growing in them,” said Max. “So there was a decision to try and engage people in this unique history of the Woodlands by inviting them to plant gardens in them and tend them.”
Gardening stretches from March through November of each year.
“Having this space has reshaped my relationship with death,” said Akosua Ako-Addo, grave gardener at The Woodlands. “Coming here and honoring the person — we call them our permanent residents — in this space is a constant reminder, not in a bad way, the ways in which life is limited.”
Equal parts a space for historic preservation, recreation and a love of nature, “so, really if you have any interest in any of those types of elements,” Max said, “the Woodlands is a space for you.”
