Harry T. Burleigh Family Monument Dedication
Erie, PA (July 24, 2023) – The Erie Cemetery Association Foundation will host a public dedication ceremony for a new monument to honor the family of composer Harry T. Burleigh on Saturday, Aug. 5 at 11 a.m. at the Erie Cemetery, 2116 Chestnut Street. The dedication will be followed by public tours of the Erie Cemetery.
Born in Erie, Burleigh is regarded as the "savior of the spirituals," because he created arrangements for over 100 African-American folk songs, which developed under slavery and had been transmitted only in an oral tradition. A leading baritone of his time, he performed across the U.S. and before crowned heads of Europe. Buried in White Plains, N.Y. in 1949, he was reinterred in Erie Cemetery in May 1994.
Eleven of Burleigh’s family members are buried in the Erie Cemetery in unmarked graves. A new monument will be placed at the burial site naming the family members.
The Burleigh monument project is a culminating work of the Erie Cemetery Association Foundation which aims to preserve, protect and promote in perpetuity the art, culture, history and natural beauty of the Erie Cemetery, Laurel Hill Cemetery and Wintergreen Gorge Cemetery and to educate the public on the historic significance of these cemeteries and their residents. The foundation provides enhancements to the facilities, monuments and grounds that go beyond the Erie Cemetery Association’s normal responsibilities including; historical tours, cultural events, and community education.