To some in the neighborhood, Palmer Cemetery is a history book made of stone and soil. Generations of Fishtowners rest there, and with them rests the stories of our past. To newer residents in the neighborhood, Palmer Cemetery is a beautiful greenspace, which, in a city like Philly, is a blessing to have at the center of a community. It’s a serene place to take a walk, clear your mind and zone out to sounds of nature in an area otherwise polluted by construction noises.

You may have noticed some recent work happening at Palmer Cemetery. A new section of fence is being erected on the Palmer Street side of the cemetery. The $25,000 project is one step toward making Palmer Cemetery a valuable historic and recreational space for generations to come.

“It’s a hard place to take care of; it really is,” Jim Kingsmill, one of Palmer’s trustees and a key volunteer, said. “It takes a lot of money. Thank God for the casino and the Penn Treaty Special Services District. They’ve been instrumental in us keeping this place in half-decent shape.”

Kingsmill is trying to restore the traditional colonial look of the cemetery with the new iron fencing. The cemetery used to have broad iron fencing until it deteriorated in the early 70s. It was then replaced with cyclone fencing, a move that Kingsmill said, “didn’t do the community any favors.”

“A 300 year old cemetery deserves more than old cyclone fencing,” Kingsmill said.

According to the Palmer Cemetery website, the new fencing, that was paid for with the latest grant from the Penn Treaty Special Services District, is being installed as I type. The work should be completed soon with the iron fence put up all along Palmer Street. This is the first phase of new iron fencing.

The contractor doing the first phase is Tim Lippick. Lippick is a lifelong Fishtowner and, along with his helper Larry Daily, is not only installing the fence, but also fabricating all of the panels right in the neighborhood. Much of the labor from these two men is being donated.

 

To finish fencing for the entire cemetery, Kingsmill will need a great deal of support from the neighborhood. Even the smallest donations will help.

“Every little bit helps,” Kingsmill said. “People will reach out to me online and ask me about who’s buried here. I’ll do genealogy work for them to an extent. I can do more genealogy work for you but what you have to do is give back a little bit — a little kick in the pants with a donation.”

Kingsmill added, “the most important thing is raising awareness. If we can get enough people aware of this, whether they are new to neighborhood or whether they’ve been here 100 years, it doesn’t matter, they can contribute something. If I can get $10 from each household here or two hours of volunteer work, we’d never have to ask anyone for anything.”

If you would like to donate for new iron fencing, please make any donation payable to: Palmer Cemetery Iron Fencing, c/o Palmer Cemetery 1410 E. Palmer Street Philadelphia, 19125.