Bring your cell phone to Laurel Hill; learn some history & say hi to Harry

Cassie Hart - FreshVoice
Among the gray stone tombstones of Laurel Hill Cemetery stands a five-foot tall giant red Phillies “P” embellished with six baseballs. Two seats from the demolished Veterans Stadium and an array of Phillies pennants flank a simple granite headstone.

Philadelphia sports icon Harry Kalas, the voice of the Phillies, is buried here among the graves of 18th Century war heroes and the rich and famous of Victorian Philadelphia. Kalas, who died April 13, 2009, already has one of the flashier gravesites in the historic cemetery. And, starting in August, you’ll be able to hear an audio clip of his voice when he’s added to the cemetery’s new cell-phone tour.

The cemetery, located off Ridge Avenue on the bluffs above the Schuylkill, launched its new cell-phone tour of the historic graveyard at a press event earlier this month. Gwen Kaminski, director of development and programming, described the tour as “21st Century meets 19th Century.” It offers Philadelphians and out-of-town visitors a chance to see the cemetery at their own pace any time that the site is open.

The tour has 15 stops in the north section, the oldest in the cemetery. There is no specific order that visitors need adhere to. When you spot a marker, you dial the phone number 215-525-1548 followed by the tour stop number and pound (#) key. You can listen to the recording as often as you please. In fact, you can access it sitting on your living-room couch.

By adding this form of communication to such an extraordinary location, the Friends of Laurel Hill hope that people will visit the cemetery more often. In 1836, when it was founded by John Jay Smith, it was common to see people strolling through its gardens or enjoying a picnic on the grounds, Kaminski said.

She wants to revive this tradition. “Bring a bottle of wine and have a picnic,” she said. The Friends encourage bicyclists to use the paths that wind through the site. The scenery is beautiful, and the tombstones chronicle Philadelphia’s history. And you can do all of this for free, seven days a week.

All 16,000 burial plots, spread across 78 acres, are accessible to visitors. The north campus is home to more than 40 Civil War generals, as well as modern-day hero Kalas. One of the most well-known grave sites is that of Union Civil War General George Meade – the victor at Gettysburg – who died in Philadelphia. On the cell-phone tour you can hear a speech about his war-time experiences.