Easton Cemetery

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Easton, PA
Easton Cemetery

Easton Cemetery, est 1849. Easton, PA. National Register of Historic Places. Open daily. to 2:00 p.m. to dusk, weather permitting.

Hours of Operation (Winter 2026):

Easton Cemetery Office will be open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. Appointments outside of these hours are available upon request. Please call 610-252-1741 or email [email protected]. The cemetery grounds are open daily (including holidays) from 8 a.m. We are an active cemetery, in operation since 1849. Easton Cemetery is representative of

the movement in the mid-1800s to create park-like spaces that served as burial sites and recreational opportunities. Land within the cities and towns was used for development. In the city of Easton, Dr. Traill Green recognized this need and the necessity of good sanitation. He prompted the local citizens to buy land outside what was then the city limits and Easton Cemetery was created. In the early days visiting the cemetery on a weekend was so popular that people had to have a ticket to get in with their horse and carriage! In addition to George Taylor, signer of the Declaration of Independence, the cemetery has a long list of notable people in history with interesting stories from stage actress to politician to founder of Lafayette College.

🌳 84 acres of rolling hills
🪦 42,000+ permanent residents
🇺🇸 3,600+ veterans
📚history
🖼️ funerary art
🦌 wildlife
👨🏽‍🌾 🧑‍🏫volunteers always needed
🐶 leashed dogs welcome

Self-guided walking tour booklets are free and available on the porch of the Superintendent’s House located at the front gate of the cemetery at the top of N. 7th Street.

06/09/2026

Our gardeners work hard to w**d, plant and help figure out plants that are "deer resistant." Sometimes it seems critters will munch on just about everything! Pictured here are Jacob’s Ladder and lavender which may do the trick. Also included: Evergreen candytuft, geraniums, yarrow and sedum.

"I love riding my bike over to the cemetery to water and to admire the other gardeners’ beds. Grateful to be a part of this program!!!"

We're lucky to have YOU, Candey! Thank you for sharing these photos and tips.💞

06/08/2026

[Update: 06/08/26 12:00 PM] Our gates are now open.

Thank you for your patience. And thank you to our fabulous crew! While we still have some cleanup work to do, the grounds are safe for visitors. Please be mindful of your surroundings while walking and driving.

06/07/2026

[Update: 06/07/26 8:00 AM] Due to last night’s storm, the cemetery is temporarily closed. Several trees have fallen, and crews need time to safely assess the grounds. Safety is our top priority. We will share updates here as more information becomes available.

06/04/2026

"Frank Reeder is the chemical blonde often seen with Detwiller. His hair as light as a zephyr; so is his head. He holds the record as being champion middle-weight liar of Lafayette College, and in a fair contest could hustle "Mich" Wilson. He and Keller would make a good pair of confidence men if "Hiram" wasn't so conscientious. 'Coxey will be a gay soubrette in "Dusty's" company.' "

FRANK REEDER, JR. (Sec. N, # 220)
Born: May 4, 1880 | Died: October 20, 1967

Frank Reeder, Jr was born in Easton, attended Easton Academy and was one of the three Reeder sons who would graduate from Lafayette. His brother Andrew graduated in 1890 and his brother Douglas in 1905. Frank graduated in 1901 and studied law in his father's firm of Reeder and Coffin. He was admitted to the Bar in 1905 and marked the 50th anniversary of his admission in 1955. During those years he served in various leadership positions.

In 1926 he was appointed U. S. commissioner in Easton. His plan to serve a short time turned into 25 years when he left that position in 1951. Commissioners assisted federal judges and provided federal government with local officers to support the enforcement of specific laws.

He served as assistant district attorney for Northampton County from 1906 - 1908. He was also a director of the Easton National Bank and Trust Company. He married Sara Seitz on April 12, 1909, and they had two daughters, Gwendolyn Frances and Marie Louise Reeder. Years later, Gwen Reeder Love acted in some of the Lafayette Little Theater productions when they were in Hogg Hall.

06/03/2026

✨🪦 Family plots in cemeteries are designated sections purchased by a single family to inter multiple loved ones together over generations.✨ 🪦

The Reeder family has a long history in the Easton area starting with Andrew H. Reeder, a distinguished attorney who was named territorial governor of Kansas by Franklin Pierce in 1854. His Lafayette connection is sending his son and three grandsons to the college.

FRANK REEDER, SR. (Sec. N, # 220 - 226)
Born: May 22, 1845 | Died: December 7, 1912

Frank Reeder was born in Easton and attended school there as well as Edge Hill School in Princeton and Lawrenceville Preparatory School before entering Lafayette College in 1859. In 1861 he transferred to Princeton College, sophomore class. In 1862 Reeder left school to serve in the Civil War, enlisting in several Pennsylvania regiments before joining the 19th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment where he served for the remainder of the war. He had a brilliant military career. Although the war ended in 1865, the 19th was active until 1866 at which time Reeder had attained the rank of lieutenant colonel. After the war Reeder went to law school in Albany, New York and was admitted to the New York Bar in 1868. He practiced law in New York city but returned to Easton in 1870 and joined his brother Howard in the law firm of Reeder and Reeder. He served as Chief Marshall for the parade dedicating the Soldiers and Sailor Monument in Easton's Centre Square on May 10, 1900.

[Frank Reeder Sr and Jr are NUMBER 19 in our ongoing "Lafayette 200" series]

06/02/2026

Beautiful weather is here, and it's the perfect time to highlight the incredible work of our volunteer Grave Gardeners. At the beginning of each season, volunteers are assigned a plot and, with guidance from our committee, take care of the w**ding and planting throughout the season on their own schedule.

As you wander our grounds, take a moment to admire our beautifully maintained cradle graves and urns. And if you happen to see one of our gardeners, please say hello and thank you! Their hard work and dedication help keep our grounds looking their best. 🌷🌿 🙏

05/27/2026

THOMAS A. H. HAY (Sec. C, # 65)
Born: July 1, 1855 | Died: May 27, 1925

The Hay family has played an important role in local history. Much of the development of what was South Easton can be traced to Melchoir Hay, who came to the Easton area in 1738. Hay captained a company of one hundred and four men from Williams Township in the fight for independence. Four generations later, Thomas Abraham Horn Hay was born in Easton and would make his own mark on history.

Thomas was educated in Easton schools, graduated from Lafayette College in 1876, and was a member of the Zeta Psi fraternity. After graduation he worked with his father, Jacob, in the wholesale dry goods business. In 1879 Thomas and his friend Russell R. Harrison (class of 1877) went to the Montana Territory, where they worked for two years. Hay later returned to Easton to join his father in mercantile and real estate operations. Harrison’s father, Benjamin, would become president of the United States.

In 1889 Hay was appointed by President Harrison as postage agent in New York City, overseeing the distribution of postage stamps to post offices nationwide. He is credited with creating the idea of commemorating major events in American history with special jubilee stamps. The first honored the Columbian Exposition celebrating the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s landing.

In 1893 Hay returned to Easton and, with his brother, developed the Easton Power Company and a system of trolley lines. He remained a strong supporter of Lafayette College and in 1907 led the parade from the Hotel Karldon in downtown Easton to campus for the 75th anniversary celebration of Lafayette’s founding. In 1923, as longtime marshal of the Alumni Association, Hay placed a bronze wreath from Lafayette undergraduates on Lafayette’s grave in Picpus Cemetery, Paris.

[Thomas Hay is number 18 in our ongoing "Lafayette 200" series]

05/26/2026

Irises have history in cemeteries, primarily serving as symbols of resurrection, faith, and the mourning process. They were planted as living grave markers or as borders due to their hardy nature and resilience in poor soil conditions.

In ancient Greek mythology, the goddess Iris was the messenger between heaven and earth, responsible for guiding souls to their final resting place. Because of this, they symbolize faith, hope, and the afterlife. Purple irises were historically planted over the graves of women to summon the goddess to guide the soul in its journey to the afterlife.

The white cemetery iris (Iris albicans), is widely naturalized along the Mediterranean coast as far as Spain and Portugal and may have been cultivated, and propagated by division, for over 1000 years. The story goes that the plants were carried from their original Arabian homeland during the Muslim conquests of Anatolia, north Africa and Spain, and they were traditionally planted at grave sites, a practice that continued among Christians when Spaniards brought the plants to the new world following the Reconquista in 1492.

05/25/2026

Memorial Day is more than a long weekend—it’s a day to pause, reflect, and remember.

🇺🇸

Address

401 N. 7th Street
Easton, PA
18042

Website

http://thehistoriceastoncemetery.org/

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