Current News
Current cemetery news and events are summarized below. Detailed information can be obtained by clicking on the summary line or scrolling down.
Wreaths Across America
Mt. Olivet is proud to partner with Wreaths Across America, the well-known nonprofit organization, on their mission to honor veterans. Thanks to thousands of sponsors and volunteers, last year live balsam wreaths were placed at more than 2 million veterans’ gravesites at 4,900 locations across all 50 states, including Arlington National Cemetery.
You can join in honoring our 518 veterans by sponsoring one or more wreaths today for $17 each and volunteering to place them at their gravesites at Mt. Olivet on Sunday, December 13. Wreaths can be sponsored for specific individuals or unnamed veterans. If you can’t join us in December, others will place wreaths for you.
For every wreath sponsored for Mt. Olivet, the cemetery receives $5, which will be used to clean and restore veterans’ gravestones and maintenance well into the future.
Sam Brinley provides more information in his speech at the New Cumberland Memorial Celebration this past May. You can hear the speech at: https://youtu.be/dqreWoeJgc4?si=LuuuwAi2nQD88-zG
Visit our Wreaths Across America page to sponsor wreaths and more.
Veterans Memorial Event - May 21, 2026
Our annual salute to over 500 Military Veterans lying-in-peace at Mt. Olivet will be held Thursday, May 21, from 12noon to 2pm.
Join Veterans’ Families, American Legion and VFW members, Cedar Cliff JROTC Cadets and Wrestling Team, Scouts, and community leaders to give thanks, place small 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.
Click here for more information and to RSVP, or you can RSVP by emailing us or calling the office. Registration is requested but not required.
We thank WGAL for telling our story this past May…
https://www.wgal.com/article/pennsylvania-mount-olivet-cemetary-flags-placed-jrotc-honoring-veterans/64865704
And thanks to PennLive.com for capturing images…
Veterans Gravestone Cleaning Workshops
Veterans Gravestone Cleaning Workshops, led by Elaine Brinley, are held for those who want to give back to veterans and learn how to safely and effectively clean memorials using the same materials and methods used at Arlington National Cemetery. Thanks to volunteers in the workshops and those working on their own, more than 240 gravestones of veterans and their families have been cleaned over the past three years.
If you’re interested in volunteering on your own or want to schedule a private session with a group you belong to, please email us or call the cemetery at the address and number on the bottom of this page. Workshops will be scheduled based on interest and we’ll get back to you with details.
You can view a video of the cleaning process in the video below. In that section you can also donate to help fund more cleaning.
Veteran Gravestone Restoration Contribution Request
Over 240 gravestones 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 (and expensive) 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!
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 three new memorial gardens, install new park benches, plant dozens of new trees, clean and repair more than 240 gravestones, and much more. 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!
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.
Infant Memorial Garden
Our new garden to remember 118 babies buried in a small area of the cemetery was dedicated this past September. Records of these children buried without grave markers from 1895 to 1995 in section 128 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 add to the garden.
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 tab below.
Mt. Olivet Gardening Gathering
The first gathering of our Mt. Olivet Gardening Club was successfully held in May. More than a dozen volunteers joined together to trim, remove weeds and spread tanbark on our new Infant Memorial Garden, Family Garden, and Welcome Garden. A good time was had by all, and we hope to continue gathering volunteers throughout the seasons.
If you’re interested in helping make the cemetery more beautiful and meeting other like-minded people, please email us or call the office (address and number at bottom of page). We’ll let you know when the next gathering is scheduled.
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. It’s a wonderful way to further connect with our families and meet new friends. We hope you stop by our tent to say hi and pick-up a small US Flag that honored one of our Military Veterans last Memorial Day.
Help Spread the Good News
We thank Mt. Olivet families for recognizing and supporting our efforts to improve their cemetery. Special thanks to those who tell us and others about the positive happenings at Mt. Olivet. A few of our favorite Google reviews are posted here. We invite all to post reviews on how we’re doing at this link: https://g.page/r/CTVMCC3hfPQuEAg/review.
Website & Quarterly Newsletter Communication
To help keep families aware of what’s going on at Mt. Olivet, we try to keep this website up to date as well as publish quarterly newsletters that are available via the website homepage, in boxes at the cemetery, and mailed or emailed to families. If you would like to be on the mailing list, please send your home and/or email address to info@mtolivetcemetery.org.
Read this and past newsletters by clicking on the page!
Mt. Olivet is back on Facebook!
You can now visit us on Facebook at Mt.OlivetCemeteryNC to learn about the latest happenings at Mt. Olivet.
