A new owner is bringing new life and natural burials to Philly's Mount Vernon Cemetery

Inquirer columnist Stephanie Farr went to Steelmantown Cemetery — New Jersey’s first green burial preserve — for her recent column. Steelmantown Cemetery owner Ed Bixby is the new owner of another graveyard that’s closer to home, the once-abandoned Mount Vernon Cemetery in North Philadelphia, which made headlines last year when it was listed for sale for $1 million on Zillow. While there was interest in the property, a viable buyer wasn’t found. Bixby, who owns 14 cemeteries from New Jersey to California through his Steelmantown Cemetery Company, was asked if he’d take ownership. He agreed to the sale for $1, with the condition that all liens and encumbrances against the property would be cleared. Bixby plans to create a hybrid cemetery at Mount Vernon, where the existing grounds are cleaned and preserved and new, natural burial sites and trails, like those at Steelmantown, are created.