Philadelphia, the birthplace of America, is the final resting place of some of the nation's greatest citizens. The burial grounds of Christ Church hold the remains of Benjamin Franklin and six other signers of the Declaration of Independence. Philadelphia pioneered the development of the rural cemetery with the establishment of Laurel Hill, eternal home to Gettysburg hero George Gordon Meade and thirty-nine other Civil War-era generals. In Philadelphia's Jewish, Catholic, and African American burial grounds rest such notable figures as Rebecca Gratz, model for the Jewish heroine of Walter Scott's Ivanhoe; John Barry, Catholic father of the U.S. Navy; and Octavius Catto, an African American civil-rights leader of the nineteenth century. Finally, there are the vanished cemeteries, such as Monument, Lafayette, and Franklin. Transformed into playgrounds and parking lots, these cemeteries were obliterated with sometimes horrific callousness. Philadelphia Graveyards and Cemeteries tells the intriguing history of these burial grounds, whether revered or long forgotten.
Tom Keels is the author of six published books on Philadelphia, with a seventh in progress:
-- Philadelphia's Golden Age of Retail (with Lawrence M. Arrigale). Arcadia Publishing, 2012.
-- Wicked Philadelphia: Sin in the City of Brotherly Love. The History Press, 2010.
-- Forgotten Philadelphia: Lost Architecture of the Quaker City. Temple University Press, 2007.
-- Philadelphia Graveyards and Cemeteries. Arcadia Publishing, 2003.
-- Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square (with Robert Morris Skaler). Arcadia Publishing, 2008.
-- Chestnut Hill (with Elizabeth Farmer Jarvis). Arcadia Publishing, 2002.
Tom is currently working on a book entitled Rainbow Cities, about Philadelphia's world's fairs, under contract to Temple University Press.
Besides his books, Tom is a lecturer, tour guide, writer, and commentator specializing in Philadelphia history and architecture.
Tom has spoken to the American Institute of Architects (Philadelphia chapter), American Revolution Roundtable, Chestnut Hill Historical Society, Curtis Institute of Music, Franklin Inn Club, Free Library of Philadelphia, Friends of Independence National Historical Park, Harvard Club of Philadelphia, Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, Springfield Township Historical Society, and Union League of Philadelphia.
Recently, Tom appeared in "Philly Firsts," a documentary that premiered on PBS39 in June 2011. Other media appearances include Radio Times on WHYY-FM, Creatively Speaking on WRTI-FM, PA Books on the Pennsylvania Cable Network, Action News on WPVI-TV, and Good Day Philadelphia on FOX-TV. His articles have appeared in the Rittenhouse Sq. Revue, Germantown Crier, and many local newspapers.
Tom has been a tour guide at Laurel Hill Cemetery for over a decade. He has also given tours of the Woodlands, West Laurel Hill Cemetery, and other historic sites. He has conducted classes on Philadelphia cemetery history for the Bucks County Community College Historic Preservation Program, Cheltenham Township Adult School, and Mount Airy Learning Tree.
Visit Tom's web site at http://thomaskeels.com!
