The 4700 Butler Street entrance to the Allegheny Cemetery

We are pleased to announce that the Allegheny Cemetery in Lawrenceville is now allowing bicycles on and through cemetery property.  The signs have already been taken down through a collaboration between the Cemetery Staff & Board, Councilman Patrick Dowd, and BikePGH.  People on bikes are now free to visit loved ones or take a pleasant stroll through the grounds to check out the the many famous sites.

An important thing to remember when using these roads is that the cemetery is private property, not City of Pittsburgh property.  The Allegheny Cemetery has been very generous to allow bike riders on their property, and we owe it to them to ride with caution, respect, and consideration.

Please follow these simple rules:

• Ride safely.  The speed limit inside the cemetery is 20 mph.
• Ride only on paved roads. Please do not ride on the grass.
• Respect funeral processions.  Allow them to pass and do not cut through the middle of them.
• Don’t ride when the cemetery is closed.  You can see their hours HERE.

The roads inside the cemetery are color coded with lines in the middle.  For instance, if you enter the cemetery on Penn Ave near Mathilda St in Bloomfield/Garfield, you can follow the white line and emerge at the Cemetery Offices on Butler St, near 47th St.  View a Map here.

While you’re there, you may want to visit many of the great spots inside the Cemetery, which was incorporated in 1844 — back when there were only 26 states in the Union governed by President John Tyler.

For instance, Josh Gibson, is buried here — an American baseball great, who played for Pittsburgh’s Negro League Teams, the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords.  Called the “black Babe Ruth” (although many referred to Ruth as “the white Josh Gibson”), he is considered one of the greatest catchers and power hitters in baseball history, with “almost 800” home runs for his career.  Gibson died of a stroke due to complications from a brain tumor at age 35, just three months before Jackie Robinson became the first black player in modern major league history.  According to an Allegheny Cemetery publication, “for many years [Gibson’s] grave was unmarked.  There had not been enough for a stone.  In 1975, Ted Page and Pete Zorilla sought out the grave and started gathering money for a marker.  Willie Stargell pledged the first $100 and offered more.  When word reached the Commissioner of Baseball, a simple marker was provided and placed in Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.”

Of course, Pittsburgh’s famed musician, Stephen Foster is also buried here.  Born about a block from the BikePGH office, his songs – such as “Oh! Susanna”, “Camptown Races”, “Old Folks at Home” (“Swanee River”), “Hard Times Come Again No More”, “My Old Kentucky Home”, “Old Black Joe”, and “Beautiful Dreamer” – remain popular even after 150 years.

Don’t miss Doo Dah Days, a Stephen Foster Music and Heritage Festival complete with trolley cemetery tours, on Saturday, July 10 in the Allegheny Cemetery.

A Sphinx inside the Allegheny Cemetery

Be sure to check out the Allegheny Cemetery’s resources page where you can download a tour of other famous people or find publications about sites of interest.

Public Support is also needed to guarantee Allegheny Cemetery’s survival as a vital resource for the Pittsburgh Community.  You can help them by making a contribution on their site.

---

Not a member of BikePGH? Join today! We need you to add your voice! Bike Pittsburgh works to protect cyclist’s rights and promote the vision of making Pittsburgh a safer and more enjoyable place to live and to ride. For more info, check out: www.bike-pgh.org/membership