Mt. Olivet Beautification Fund Appeal
We thank the many who have donated to our Beautification Fund over recent years. Thanks to you, we’ve been able to go beyond expected cemetery care to create memorial gardens, install park benches, plant dozens of trees, and clean hundreds of gravestones.
Individual families are no longer charged perpetual care fees as we believe every family and every gravesite deserves eternal care. We rely on your donations to further enhance your cemetery.
We ask everyone to consider contributing today to the Mt. Olivet Beautification Fund! Recent storms have resulted in many downed trees and the need for planting new replacements.
Including Mt. Olivet in your estate plan and making lifetime income gifts, such as charitable gift annuities (CGA), are meaningful ways for you to help ensure long-term care for your family’s gravesite. Please let us know of your interest and we’ll work with your financial advisor or introduce you to one who can help achieve your goals.
Wreaths Across America
Sponsor Wreaths Now through November
Lay Wreaths at Gravesites December 19, 2026
Mt. Olivet is proud to partner with Wreaths Across America on their mission to honor and remember Veterans with fresh balsam wreaths by their graves leading into every Christmas season.
We thank all who helped make 2025 a success by sponsoring wreaths for all 600 or our Veterans and placing their wreaths in December.
Please remember our Veterans again in 2026 by sponsoring a wreath today and joining us on December 19 to place wreaths by their gravesites.
Each wreath is only $17. All participating organizations are nonprofits. For wreaths sponsored for Mt. Olivet, we receive five dollars which goes to help clean and restore Veterans’ gravestones.
Details are at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/PA0950P.
You can learn more about Wreaths Across America at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.
Thank you for honoring and remembering our Veterans.
Veterans Memorial Event - May 27, 2027
Our annual salute to 600 Military Veterans lying in peace at Mt. Olivet will be held Thursday, May 27, from 12 noon to 2 p.m.
Join Veterans’ Families, American Legion and VFW members, Cedar Cliff JROTC Cadets and Wrestling Team, Scouts, and community leaders to give thanks, place US flags on individual gravesites for the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend and salute our soldiers as a bright new US Flag is raised at the Memorial Flagpole and “Taps” echoes throughout the cemetery. Open to all. No reservations needed.
We thank ABC27 and WGAL for telling our story.
And thanks to PennLive.com for capturing some images.
Thank you for remembering our Veterans.
Veteran Gravestone Restoration Contribution Request
Over 150 headstones and 225 ground markers of veterans and their families have been cleaned and restored thanks to volunteers, led by Elaine Brinley. We thank TE Connectivity and the many others who support their efforts. You can help support the cause by donating towards the purchase of special cleaning solvents (the same used at Arlington National Cemetery).
As thanks for donations of $100 or more, volunteers will clean your family gravestone.
Please send donations to:
Mt. Olivet Veteran Cemetery Beautification Fund/Veteran Gravestone Restoration
PO Box 192
New Cumberland, PA 17070
Or donate online via PayPal!
Infant Memorial Garden
Our new garden to remember 118 babies buried in section 128 was dedicated this in September 2025. Records of these children buried without grave markers from 1895 to 1995 were discovered in archival files by our volunteer historian, Dennis Derr. No longer forgotten, the names and burial dates of most of these infants can be accessed by clicking on this link.
Heartfelt thanks to Jonas York, Troop 54, for success with this, his Eagle Scout Project; to The Foundation for Enhancing Communities for their grant that helped launch the effort; to Frank Kelly, Charles Wright, and many others for their financial support; to Erica Jo Shaffer for donating her landscape design expertise; to Gingrich Memorials; to the Youth Group of Trinity Church for their lovely rock paintings; and to the many families and friends of Mt. Olivet who attended the dedication and continue to support the garden. Recent additions of flowers and baby shoes to the monument are much welcomed and very heartwarming.
Thanks to Patriot News reporter, Zack Hoopes for capturing the story. Click here for the article.
To further enhance and maintain the Infant Memorial Garden, please send donations to:
Mt. Olivet Beautification Fund/Infant Memorial
PO Box 192
New Cumberland, PA 17070
Or donate online via the button below.
Apple Festival in September
Supporting local families and the community is part of our ongoing mission, which is why Mt. Olivet is proud to be a part of the New Cumberland Olde Town Association’s Annual Apple Festival, held the last Saturday of every September.
PAST EVENTS
Veterans Gravestone Cleaning Workshops
Mt. Olivet Cemetery was proud to host a series of Veterans Gravestone Cleaning Workshops, led by Elaine Brinley, providing community members with the opportunity to honor those who served by helping preserve their memorials. Participants learned the proper techniques for safely cleaning headstones using the same trusted methods and materials used at Arlington National Cemetery.
Thanks to the dedication of our volunteers, more than 360 headstones and ground markers belonging to veterans and their families have been carefully cleaned and restored over the past three years. These workshops have helped preserve the beauty and dignity of our veterans’ final resting places while creating a meaningful way for the community to give back.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who volunteered their time and effort to help preserve the legacy of those who served our country.
Planning Ahead Seminars – May 19, 2026
On May 19, 2026, Mt. Olivet Cemetery launched its first Planning Ahead Seminars, offering community members a welcoming, informative opportunity to learn about end-of-life planning in a relaxed, no-pressure environment. Presented in partnership with Parthemore Funeral Home & Cremation Services and Stone Shekletski & DeLuca, the seminars helped attendees better understand their options and the benefits of planning ahead.
Guests had the opportunity to ask questions, hear from local professionals, and gain practical guidance on making informed decisions for themselves and their families. The positive response to these sessions reinforced the importance of providing educational resources that bring peace of mind and make future planning more approachable.
Veterans Memorial Event - May 21, 2026
On May 21, 2026, Mt. Olivet Cemetery proudly hosted its annual Veterans Memorial Event, honoring the more than 600 military veterans laid to rest on our grounds. Family members, veterans’ organizations, community leaders, scouts, and student volunteers came together to remember those who served and prepare the cemetery for Memorial Day weekend.
Volunteers placed American flags at veterans’ gravesites, gathered for a patriotic flag-raising ceremony at the Memorial Flagpole, and observed a moving performance of “Taps,” creating a meaningful tribute to the men and women who served our nation.
We extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who participated and helped make this annual tradition such a special day of remembrance.
Thank you to WGAL for sharing our story with the community:
https://www.wgal.com/article/pennsylvania-mount-olivet-cemetary-flags-placed-jrotc-honoring-veterans/64865704
Thank you to PennLive for capturing highlights from the event:
https://www.pennlive.com/life/2025/05/honoring-the-fallen-memorial-day-2025-events-in-central-pa.html
Thank you for helping us honor and remember our veterans. Their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Mt. Olivet is on Facebook!
Visit us on Facebook at Mt.OlivetCemeteryNC to learn about the latest happenings at Mt. Olivet.