Charles Evans Cemetery - Reading, PA - Olmsted Designed Parks on Waymarking.com

From the brochure obtained in the Charles Evans' Cemetery office:
"Charles Evans was born in Philadelphia on March 30, 1768, the son of Quaker parents, David and Letitia Evans. At the age of 20, he began the study of law in the office of Benjamin Chew, one of the commonwealth's foremost lawyers. Benjamin Chew had been attorney general of the colony and later became chief justice of the Supreme Court."

The article then continues telling Charles' story from moving to Reading, becoming a successful lawyer and being married to Mary Keene for 44 years.

"Left in his advanced age without a family, Charles Evans' one determination was to make it possible for the people o Reading to have a non sectarian cemetery removed from the city's noise and bustle where friends and relatives might linger and meditate. Most important, he decreed that it be a cemetery amply endowed, free from debt, unmarred by commercialism and perpetually cared for. To this end, in 1846, Charles Evans donated the original twenty-five acres of ground and the sum of two thousand dollars. Upon his death, a year later, on September 5, he further bequeathed in his will the sum of ten thousand dollars, and three-quarters or almost sixty-seven thousand dollars of the residue of his estate."

Those chosen to manage Charles Evans cemetery have done exactly as he wished. Today the cemetery has grown to 127 acres with many acres which are still undeveloped, ensuring that the Charles Evans cemetery will be available for generations to come. It is in the city of Reading, so it is easy for city residents to visit their loved ones. And this is my personal opinion, the cemetery is beautiful. It is filled with wonderful old tombstones marking the graves of those who have made a name for themselves in Reading, including Charles Evans.

I could find no actual article linking the cemetery to the Olmsteds except for the listing on the Olmsted Research Website but I did find that two prominent Reading citizens also used the Olmsteds to work on their gravesites - Fendinand Thun, project 07333, and the Henry Janssen grave, project 07584.

Type of Public Space: 08 Cemeteries, Burial Lots, Memorials and Monuments Job Number: 06987 Architect: Olmsted Brothers

Visit Instructions:
There are no specific visit requirements, however telling about your visit is strongly encouraged. Additional photos of the park to add to the gallery are also nice, but not required. Pictures with a GPS or you in them is highly discouraged.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.