Nationality American Resting place LeMoyne Crematory Role Medical doctor | Name Francis LeMoyne Title Dr. | |
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Occupation Medical Doctor, Philanthropist Parent(s) John Julius LeMoyne (father) Spouse Madeleine Romaine (m. 1823) Education Washington & Jefferson College, Thomas Jefferson University, Washington College | ||
Francis LeMoyne
Francis Julius LeMoyne (September 4, 1798 – October 14, 1879) was a 19th-century American medical doctor and philanthropist from Washington, Pennsylvania. Responsible for creating the first crematory in the United States, he was also an abolitionist, founder of Washington's first public library (known as Citizen's Library), co-founder of the Washington Female Seminary, and an instrumental benefactor to the LeMoyne Normal and Commercial School (now LeMoyne-Owen College), to which he made a $20,000 donation in 1870. He graduated from Washington College (now Washington & Jefferson College) in 1815.
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Crematory
Fearing that decomposing bodies in local cemeteries were contaminating the water supplies and making the citizens sick, Dr. Lemoyne set out to build the first crematory in the United States. The crematory was finished in 1876 on his own land, perched atop a location known locally as Gallow's Hill. The first cremation took place on December 6, 1876. In 1901, after 41 more cremations were performed (with Dr. LeMoyne being the third), the crematory was closed.
Today, the structure can be found in the same location off of South Main Street.
Lemoyne House
The LeMoyne house, built by father John Julius LeMoyne in 1812, was a stop on the underground railroad. It was Pennsylvania's first of six National Historic Landmarks of the Underground Railroad to be registered. It still stands today at 49 East Maiden Street, near the campus of Washington & Jefferson College, where it has been converted into a museum. The house also serves as the center of the Washington County Historical Society.