{"nrhp_refnum":"71000061","name":"Mikveh Israel Cemetery","other_names":["See Also:Independence National Historical Park"],"category":"site","location":{"address":"NW corner of Spruce and Darien Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.94588293100003,"lon":-75.15577411599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1971-06-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Religion","Social History"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Mikveh Israel Cemetery is a burial ground in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, enclosed by a brick wall with wrought iron gates. It contains some colonial gravestones and mainly nineteenth-century markers and monuments.","why_significant":"The nomination describes it as the oldest Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia, evidence of a settled community as early as 1740. Colonial, revolutionary and early nineteenth-century figures are buried here, including several members of the Gratz family and Haym Solomon. The cemetery is also noted as a national shrine by H. R. 7181 and as a unit of Independence National Historic Park.","narrative":"A burial ground in Philadelphia with a brick wall and wrought iron gates, Mikveh Israel Cemetery holds some colonial gravestones alongside mostly nineteenth-century markers and monuments. Its records point to a settled Jewish community in the city as early as 1740, making it the oldest Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia. Colonial, revolutionary and early nineteenth-century figures are buried here, among them several members of the Gratz family and Haym Solomon. Some of the markers are original, while others were erected later. The site has been designated a national shrine by H. R. 7181 and forms part of Independence National Historic Park. It is also certified by the Philadelphia Historical Commission. The cemetery's long use and its burials of prominent early American figures are the main reasons it is regarded as important.","period_of_significance":"1740-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.436022-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/71000061.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000061/8a0b14d7a1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000061/8a0b14d7a1-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"Bruce Andersen","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mikveh_Israel_Cemetery.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Bruce Andersen</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mikveh_Israel_Cemetery.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"84003563","name":"Washington Square West Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/washington-square-west-historic-district-84003563/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997538","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikveh_Israel_Cemetery","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2893494"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/mikveh-israel-cemetery-71000061/"}