Join us at Wilkes-Barre City Cemetery in Wilkes-Barre, PA on Friday July 28th, 2023!
All 48StateTour! events are free & open to the public

This event is cohosted by Wilkes-Barre City Cemetery Restoration Committee

Wilkes-Barre City Cemetery
473 North River St Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
7/28/2023 9am-3pm

Find A Grave
City of Wilkes-Barre
Friends of Wilkes-Barre Facebook
Facebook Event

Parking: All parking will be in the cemetery and spots will be marked with cones and signs!

About Wilkes-Barre City Cemetery

The city cemetery was first located at the corner of East Market St. and North Washington Street, this  is now the location of City Hall that was built in 1893 and is still used as City Hall.

The first recorded burial at this location was the son of Col. Zebulon Butler in 1773. Some of the body’s from this cemetery were moved in the 1856 to Hollenback cemetery. The remainder of the bodies were moved to the new location for the Wilkes- Barre City Cemetery when it opened in 1870 and it’s latest burial was June 10,2023.

Henry Brown a prominent free Black man from Wilkes-Barre risked his life, he was the conductor of the Underground Railroad in the early 1800s using his hay wagon to transport them he helped them find freedom. When he died in 1884 he was buried in the Wilkes-Barre City Cemetery without a grave marker. On August 12,2023 all that will change when there will be a Grave Marking Ceremony for Henry Brown, thanks to the efforts of a few local groups that raised enough money to purchase a marker for him.

*all info above is courtesy of our local event co-host Louis Zuzelski*