PRIMARY SERVICES
Traditional and Cremation Burials
For many who pass by or are uninformed, there is a perception that The Lancaster Cemetery is full and not accepting additional burials. In reality, there are well over 300 gravesites available throughout the grounds for traditional burials. Most visible are those located in the “T” section, which is located immediately inside the main entrance gate to the left. If you have family members buried in the Cemetery, chances are good that gravesites are available nearby or in relatively close proximity. If you have an interest in a specific section of the Cemetery, please contact the office to make an appointment to discuss your options. To facilitate maintenance issues, the Cemetery requires that all burials be made in concrete vaults or durable resin enclosures. Arrangements can made for double-depth internments.
Additionally, in 2002, the Cemetery established a Memorial Garden for the exclusive interment of cremation ashes. In keeping with its environmentally friendly concept, the Memorial Garden, which is located directly inside the main entrance gate, will only accept cremains in biodegradable boxes or containers. No urns or vaults of any kind will be permitted. Moreover, no markers or headstones will be allowed. Family members may choose to engrave a name on the existing granite tablet (see pricing below). To maintain the serene visual appearance of this section, artificial flowers, wreaths, or remembrances of any kind will not be permitted. The Cemetery has mapped and marked all sections within the Memorial Garden.
Cremations may be received on any burial lot throughout the Cemetery. Currently, families are opting to secure a single gravesite where multiple interments can be made. There are no restrictions on the use of markers, headstones, or floral tributes.
Schedule of Charges (January 1, 2020)
Burial Charges
- Grave Opening: $985.00
- Grave Opening, Saturday: $1375.000
- Grave Opening, Sunday or Holiday: $1,800.00
- Grave Opening, Double Depth: $1,900.00
- Cremation Opening: $350.00
- Cremation Opening with Chairs and Greens: $550.00
Cost for removal of rock from gravesite is charged in addition to the cost of the grave opening and is calculated on time and material.
Burial Lots
- Single Grave: $1000.00
- Double Grave: $1800.00
Memorial Garden (For Cremations Only)
- Cremation Burial Site, without lettering: $200.00
- Cremation Burial Site with name engraved upon granite tablet: $475.00
Guidelines for Memorial Garden Burials
- Cremains must be in a biodegradable box or container. No urn or vaults of any kind will be permitted.
- Markers or headstones are not permitted. Family members may choose engraving of the existing granite tablet. See above pricing.
- Artificial flowers, wreaths or remembrances of any kind are not permitted in the Memorial Garden.
- The Cemetery has mapped and marked all sections within the Garden.
OTHER SERVICES
Monuments, Tombstones, and Markers
From the Cemetery’s inception, as outlined in the Rules and Regulations, the installation and maintenance of monuments and memorials are the responsibility of the lot holder. While the choice of monument companies is yours to make, the Cemetery can assist with the installation of a concrete foundation for tombstones or markers. Your monument company will contact us on the size of your memorial. Costs will be calculated based on the dimensions provided.
As previously stated, the maintenance and repairs are the lot holders’ responsibility. We can assist and coordinate repairs with your monument company. Whenever practical, we will assist with setting upright and straightening the monuments, with costs calculated for time and material.
Genealogical Research
The Cemetery will be happy to assist you with your genealogical research of family members. If possible, please email the surnames and possible derivations of their spelling, along with the first name and death date, if known, to: info@lancastercemetery.org. Every attempt will be made to provide you with the information you request. From our beginnings, burial dates were simply entered into ledger books as daily interments were made. Our records are limited to: the deceased name, birth date-if made known, death date, age, lot number, interment date, funeral director-if known, and occasionally comments. Around 1985, the Board took steps to convert this information onto filing cards to create an alphabetical card catalog. In 2001, a genealogist provided the funding for us to computerize our records. Additionally, over the years, Luther Henry and James Templeton carefully recorded the information on the tombstones and monuments in the Cemetery. Those records are available at the Lancaster County Historical Society. When doing your research, keep in mind that while your relative may be buried in the Cemetery, we may not have a record of the interment. During the outbreak of the Great Influenza (“Spanish Flu”) Pandemic of 1918-19, an overwhelming number of burials were made daily without ever having been recorded. Depending on the family’s resources, there may not be a headstone or marker. Frequently, we can pin point a family lot that is unmarked. Finally, many burials are recorded under the heading, “Stranger’s Ground.” There are numerous stranger’s ground burial sites in the Cemetery. Unfortunately, in many cases, our records do not specify the actual site an interment was made.