Franklin Memorial Park offers in-ground burial in our Memorial sections. The first thing you may notice upon entering our park is the absence of headstones that you find in traditional cemeteries. Memorial Parks are designed to offer families a park like atmosphere. Memorial Parks offer many advantages. One being that all families are equal here; wealth is not displayed by the size of one’s monument. Instead bronze memorials on granite or concrete bases are placed at the foot of the graves. Another advantage of this design is that maintenance can be performed very efficiently helping us guarantee that the park will maintain it nice appearance in the future.
Purchasing a cemetery plot provides families with many options:
- Families choose two plots side by side and typically place a double memorial centered on both plots.
- Some families choose a single plot and have it opened extra depth for two burials in the same plot. They then place a single memorial with two names on the plot.
- Some families choose to place cremated remains in their plot.
- Some families first decide to purchase plots and then deicide that they would rather choose above ground burial in one of our mausoleums. In this case families are afforded a generous credit to be used towards the purchase of a mausoleum.
Flower/Decorations Regulations
Franklin Memorial Park has some specific regulations regarding grave flowers, flags etc. See the FAQs below.
FAQs
Some general guidelines concerning grave ownership may be found in the following brochure.
What goes into the grave opening cost?
A full explanation is available in our brochure, It’s more than just digging the grave
How do I know the Park will be maintained in the future?
There are two reasons that you can help you rest assured that the park will be maintained in the future:
The design of the Park (no headstones) allows for very efficient operation and maintenance procedures.
The Park operates under a Certificate of Authority Granted by the State of New Jersey. This assures that adequate monies are placed in an irrevocable trust to maintain the cemetery in the future.
When can the memorial be placed on the grave?
The memorials are placed directly on the graves. This can only be done after the grave is finished settling. This settling may take between 6 months to 1 year depending on the weather, grave depth and location of adjacent burials.
Can I purchase a grave marker from the cemetery?
No, New Jersey State law prohibits cemeteries from selling memorials. Only Funeral Homes and Monument companies may sell memorials.
Can I buy a memorial online?
Yes, but we will not receive and offload memorials shipped directly to the cemetery. You need to arrange for a local company to receive it and then deliver and offload it at the cemetery.
Does the memorial go on the head of the grave?
No, memorials are placed at the foot of the grave.
What are the flower regulations in the memorial sections?
Only fresh cut flowers are permitted during the grass cutting season which is usually between Easter to Thanksgiving. All dead flowers are removed prior to cutting the grass. This allows us to keep the park looking its best.
Only artificial flowers are allowed during the winter months when we are not cutting the grass. Glass vases and candles are prohibited for the safety of our staff.
We have wildlife in the park so please do not be surprised if your flowers become someone’s snack!
Can I plant flowers and shrubs?
No, planting is not permitted.
When are flags and flag holders permitted?
As with artificial flowers, flags and flag holders are not permitted during the grass cutting season with some exceptions. During the following holidays flags and flag holders may be placed: Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day and Veteran’s Day. We will cut the grass around them and they can remain on the site through the following weekend. Please come back the next weekend and take them home until the next holiday. If you cannot make it back to remove them they will be removed and placed next to the equipment yard for you to collect. We do not throw them out. They are eventually placed in one of our sheds. Just come in or contact our office to retrieve them.
Flags are available for free on our front porch.
Flags and flag holders may be left on grave sites during the fall and winter. When these flags become tattered they will be removed. Flag holders left out during the winter may become damaged during heavy snows when we cannot see them and need to open graves.
How long does it take before the grass is planted on the grave?
This can vary widely depending on the time of year the burial occurred, the depth of the burial and weather conditions after the burial takes place. We seed graves in the spring and the fall. You may rest assured that our grounds crew is keeping an eye on all the grave sites and will seed at the appropriate time.