This is a quick visit and there is limited parking but it's worth it to stop to see the first crematory in the United States. Dr. Francis Julius LeMoyne suggested that cremation was the healthiest and safest alternative to burial and the potential outbreak of disease from buried bodies. So he built this and it was originally intended to be for his own personal use and three years later when he died, he was the third person to be cremated here. His ashes are buried on the site along with a memorial. The building is quite simple. Too simple for such a solemn occasion, if you'd ask the people who were around at the time that believed cremation is inhumane or un-Christian. The one story building is only about 30 feet wide and contains just two rooms: a preparation and viewing room and the actual furnace. The most important innovation was that it was built such that the fires never actually touched the body. Stop by, see, and perhaps appreciate this innovation. [Review 20406 overall - 617 in Pennsylvania - 1385 of 2023.] read more

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What's it like to be first? This is the first crematory in the United States. Francis Julius Lemoyne was a medical doctor, philanthropist, and a prominent abolitionist. His public health concerns regarding decomposing bodies led him to promote the building of the first crematory in the United States. The first cremation was in December of 1876. It's a simple building by design, and a testament to this forward thinking man. You can see a small monument that contains Lemoyne's remains. It's all rather small and simple, but definitely worth seeing. read more

Lemoyne Crematory - First Crematory in the United States - Funeral Services & Cemeteries Near Me - South Strabane Township, Pennsylvania