While this is a well established, very large cemetery that might be maintained to an okay standard, I urge readers to be cautious about buying grave lots at Whitemarsh.
My grandmother recently died. Her grave was prepaid. And this cemetery required my mom to sign a release which said the cemetery would not be responsible if they interred the remains in the wrong grave, because she opted not to verify the burial space IN PERSON. (My mom is in her eighties and has mobility issues.)
Here is wording from the release:
"I AGREE that the Cemetery WILL NOT be responsible OR liable in ANY way for ANY claims that arise out of the interment of the Decedent at the Cemetery IF the interment is NOT performed in the correct burial space."
What do you think of that?
It's THEIR cemetery. They run it. They manage it. People expect cemetery operators to have a degree of competency in what they do. And I think generally people expect the companies they do business with to treat them fairly.
Is it fair to make consumers sign a waiver that says if the cemetery makes a mistake by interring remains in the wrong grave, it's not their fault?
Gee, I wonder what prompted them to author this absurd form?
And so what happens when they make a mistake? Are families expected to pay to have the remains disinterred and pay for another grave to be opened? If so, these additional charges would be substantial.
Another thing... since I'm irritated, I'm going to enlighten you with another area of concern I have.
There is a review in the Yelp Whitemarsh Memorial Park "not recommended" section that mentions a bent bronze marker.
This is an issue at bronze flat marker cemeteries which have workers that don't care, who are indifferent, who have low standards.
I have not recently visited Whitemarsh Memorial Park, however I have visited other SCI bronze marker cemeteries in the Philadelphia area and I have seen with my own eyes the damage their workers have done.
Big players SCI and Stonemor Partners are sloppy operators when it comes to not damaging bronze flat markers.
Their workers drive right over these markers. (I've seen it.) Sometimes when they do this, the granite base under the bronze cracks in half and the middle of the bronze marker is bent downward. This is rampant.
And when bronze flat markers are bent in the middle, the ends tend to rise higher into the air. So then, in some cases, the ends of the bronze are susceptible to further damage when the mower blades come near.
This damage is more likely to happen to the longer bronzes, like the 44 inchers. It is less likely to happen to shorter ones, but they also get bent and have their granite bases cracked in half.
A 44 inch bronze flat marker with a base could cost $4000 or more.
Reader, if you are considering the purchase of burial lots in a bronze flat marker cemetery, then here is what you should do:
Walk the cemetery and look at the existing bronze flat markers row by row. If you see damaged markers, then there is a real chance your future marker will get damaged too. It's just reality.
Also, look to see if the markers are maintained, where there is no dirt or vegetation covering them. Flat markers can easily become covered by dirt and vegetation over time if there is no maintenance.
In the sections you are considering buying into, visit those sections again after a heavy rain and see how the ground drains. Actually walk on the ground. If there is standing water on the ground or excessively spongy ground, I would not buy a lot there.
Since bronze flat markers are more susceptible to damage, and since a poor maintenance regimen can result in flat markers becoming covered with vegetation and even lost, I recommend you consider buying a burial lot where you will have the option to place an upright granite monument instead.
One other thing: if you buy a bronze flat marker with a bronze vase, there is a real chance the vase will one day be stolen. It happens. read more
