Extraordinary Stories From An Ordinary Guy: The "Paying Homage To A Lancaster Architectural Icon" Story

Entrance to Greenwood Cemetery in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

It was an ordinary day. Driving slowly through Greenwood Cemetery, which is to the south of the city of Lancaster, Pennsyl- vania, searching for the tombstone of Cassius Emlen Urban. It was back in March of 2013 that I wrote my first of many stories about the leading architect in the city of Lancaster.

This bright white stone caught my eye. Click on images to enlarge.

He died on May 21, 1939 after a lifetime of dedicating himself to designing some of Lancaster's most notable and famous buildings. Urban was born on February 26, 1863 to Barbara Hebbie and Amos S. Urban in Conestoga Township, Lancaster County. So to pay homage to him on the anniversary of his death, I thought I would visit his gravesite and document where he was buried in 1939, a few years before I was born in the same city.

The flowered designs that are on the reverse side.

The cemetery covers quite a few acres of rolling hillside so my task was great being that I had no idea where his tombstone might be located. I had an inkling of an idea what it might look like, since I had seen a photograph of it in an article written by local architect Gregory Scott.

The URBAN family monument.

I entered the cemetery through the majestic stone arches and headed toward the Thaddeus Stevens section of the graveyard, trying to visually site the tombstone from my car. After fifteen minutes I though maybe I should have called the city and asked if their was a map showing gravesides, but being it a weekend I kept on driving.

The verse along he bottom of the stone.

After a half hour of looking at tombstone after tombstone from my car, I was about to call it quits when the sun broke through the gray sky and shone upon a beautiful white stone about 50 feet to my right. I glanced toward it and knew at once I was successful in my search. Stopped the car, grabbed my camera and walked among the stones to the one that had a plain "URBAN" on one side of it.

Family members stones in the foreground.

How many Urban's could there be in Lancaster I thought. Well, I walked around the stone and there on the other side were three smaller stones, one reading C. EMLEN URBAN, 1863-1939. A small cross was at the top of the small stone. On the opposite side of the large white stone was a more ornate design showing rows of flowers on either side and a Bible verse across the bottom which read: UNTIL THE DAY BREAK AND THE SHADOWS FLEE AWAY.

Tombstone for Cassius Emlen Urban.

I snapped a few photo- graphs and paid my tribute to Mr. Urban and headed back to the car. Mr. Urban's resting site is surrounded by many of his most famous landmarks such as Lancaster's Southern Market house, Thaddeus Steven's School, Lancaster's original Boy's High School, Watt & Shand Department Store, the Greist Building which is Lancaster's first skyscraper and the Parish House of St. James Episcopal Church were I am a member.

C. Emlen Urban

Mr. Urban is a legend in Lancaster County and his contributions were immeasurable. Lancaster is so lucky to have had an architectural visionary such as Cassius Emlen Urban. He changed the city with his French Baroque, Italian Renaissance, Perpendicular Gothic and French Renaissance architectural styles. And, we are all the better for it! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - I also read that he was an excellent fisherman who landed the largest bass ever recorded in the Susquehanna River. Fish weighed 6 1/4 pounds.