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Jefferson Memorial Park was founded by Harry C. Neel in 1929 and passed down to his only son, John D. Neel, who is credited with the growth and innovation that has made Jefferson Memorial what it is today. Jefferson Memorial Park is still owned-operated by the Neel family to this day.
The cemetery was constructed on a parcel of land that had originally been the Snee Family Farm. This new cemetery was then located in Jefferson Township but more importantly, it was named after our forefather, Thomas Jefferson. As a salute to our nation, a 10’ statue of Jefferson resides in the center of the Thomas Jefferson Garden Mausoleum.
The cemetery was designed to be a Memorial Park, with no tombstones to mar the beauty of the sweeping lawns. The once humble parcel of rolling hills and farm land is still home to green knolls and acres of shaded lawns - as well as over 30 species of native plant life distinctive to Western Pennsylvania - but also numerous, evocative structural pieces. Throughout the cemetery’s 47 gardens one will find distinguished bronze memorials, ornate stained-glass dedications and colored tableaus of granite and marble. A Visitor’s Guide was developed to assist in locating Jefferson’s many historical pieces including: the Serpentine’s Walls - replicas of the walls Jefferson himself designed for the University of Virginia - the great Thomas Jefferson Mausoleum, whose 6, 30 foot, 30 ton granite pillars were salvaged from the old Bank of Pittsburgh founded in 1810, 5 original Roman Vases spread throughout the cemetery from the City of Pompeii and 1 set of stairs from the estate of Pittsburgh Industrialist, Henry Oliver.
Unlike many cemeteries and funeral home’s today, Jefferson Memorial is still owned and operated as a 4th generation family enterprise and is proudly one of the largest, most beautiful privately owned cemeteries in the United States.
This cemetery is located 401 Curry Hollow Road, Pleasant Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.