Yes, we can show you the wide range of personalization choices, including customized nameplates and military insignias.

Yes, we offer urn vaults, designed for in-ground burial of cremated remains. At Jefferson Memorial we manufacture on-site our own vaults as an added benefit and service to you.

Except in certain special cases, embalming is not required by law. It is always your choice. Your decision may depend on such factors as whether the family selected a service with a public viewing of the body with an open casket; or to enhance the deceased's appearance for a private family viewing; or if the body is going to be transported by air or rail, or because of the length of time prior to the burial.

Pennsylvania rules and regulations number 13.211A requires that any human remains held 24 hours beyond death be embalmed or sealed in a hermetically sealed container that will not allow fumes or odors to escape or shall be kept under refrigeration provided, however, that this does not conflict with any religious beliefs or medical examinations.

Some state or local laws do not require that you buy a container to surround the casket in the grave. However, many cemeteries require that you have such a container so that the ground will not sink. Either a grave liner or a burial vault will satisfy these requirements.

Mausoleum crypts are both clean and dry. They offer a viable alternative for those who simply have an aversion of being interred in the ground. Furthermore, mausoleums will allow for a maximum number of entombments in a minimum amount of space.

The burial process is the most expensive individual operation of all a cemetery does. The physical digging of the grave is the most straightforward part. There are actually over 72 steps to making an interment, from backhoes and dump trucks to the skilled manpower required. The effort involved in restoring the grave to its original appearance and repairing unavoidable damage caused to the surrounding turf area during an interment is extensive. If you come in two years later and report a grave has sunk, you expect us to repair it. This repair is a cost related to that original burial.

Trimming and general upkeep around bronze memorial markers is a family's responsibility. However, if you report a sunken marker or broken condition to the cemetery office we will see that it is lifted and reset. Any marker that is cracked or damaged will be repaired through the cemeteries endowment care fund on behalf of the family.

The green finish you are seeing on some bronze markers is Patina. Patina is the aging process of bronze which is the direct result of a union between bronze and chemicals in the environment. Different mixtures and climates vary the rate of development but the regular upkeep of markers is a general deterrent to this process. The statue of liberty is full cast bronze, now turned patina due to the natural process over time.

All graves are sold with one burial right. Traditionally, single depth grave spaces hold one casket burial. However, at Jefferson Memorial each single depth grave space has the option to include one casketed burial plus one cremation. Alternatively, single grave space can include two cremations. When a second burial is to be added, a second right burial fee is incurred, thus giving you the opportunity to keep loved ones together.

From the purchase price of all plots sold, or from all plots sold, transferred, assigned, given, gifted, or inherited from a deeded owner to a new owner, Jefferson Memorial deposits amounts as specified by the Rules and Regulations or statute into the Endowment Care Fund.

Endowed care means that within the limits permitted by the income derived from the plot's Endowed Care Fund, the cemetery grounds will be maintained in keeping with a well-preserved memorial park.

Yes, if you are the legal owner of these lots and listed on the deed, you are able to sell the property. The property can be sold to anyone you choose for any price you deem reasonable. Once you have a buyer located, you will need to contact our offices to make an appointment to have that deed legally transferred into the buyer’s name. Until such a time, no one who purchases the lot from you would legally own the lot until it is transferred and titled by one of our advisors. There will be processing costs, deed fees, and endowment care fees for the new owner.

Jefferson Memorial will not generally repurchase graves. If you purchased them many years ago, we might offer to repurchase them at your original purchase price.

Many cemeteries participate in the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association Lot Exchange Plan. Using this plan, you may transfer the dollar credit (not lot for lot) of what was originally paid to be used toward your purchase at an ICCFA exchange participating cemetery. To learn more, visit the ICCFA website at www.iccfa.com to learn more about this option.

Generally, it is not difficult.

All transfers must be recorded by the cemetery. In other words, you cannot just hand someone a deed and say they own it. The original deed and/or certificate of ownership must be presented before we can process a transfer. At the time of a transfer or sale, the cemetery will collect funds to be deposited into the Endowment Care Trust Fund. Property with existing interments cannot be transferred to a new owner. The deed must be split into two deeds: one for the new owners and one to the original owners, even if deceased.

Transfers include fees and charges. What we handle for you includes procedures and forms such as:

• Deed Transfer Merchandise Certificate Heirs Release Affidavit
• Where/how to get a Death Certificate
• Where/how to get a Short Certificate, and more.

The two most common situations when transferring cemetery property:

• Transfer by Living Owner(s) - If all living titled owners’ consent to the transfer, it is a simple matter. Gather your Deed and Certificate of Ownership and our advisors will guide you through the transfer procedures.
• Transfer When Owner(s) are Deceased - Unused burial property or merchandise are considered undistributed items of the estate of the deceased. Jefferson must comply with the laws of Pennsylvania.

Transfer of cemetery property (graves, lawn crypt, mausoleum, or niche) is governed by Title 20, the Pennsylvania Estate and Fiduciary Code. We recommend that you call us before beginning the transfer process so that we may walk you through the steps required.