Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier: Found Beneath a Parking Lot
- Andrew Cross
- Jun 25
- 2 min read
The Most Honored Grave With No Name
At the center of Washington Square Park lies one of Philadelphia’s most quietly powerful memorials: the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution.
Surrounded by trees and flowers, the site offers a moment of reflection in the middle of the bustling city.
But the story of how this sacred ground came to be recognized is one of the most unexpected - and haunting - chapters in the city’s history.
Rediscovered by Accident
By the mid-20th century, Washington Square was a peaceful city park, but many had forgotten its grim origins. In the 1950s, during routine renovations near the square - including excavation for a nearby parking area - construction workers began uncovering human bones. What they found was evidence of a mass grave.

Long before it was a park, Washington Square served as one of Philadelphia’s major burial grounds during the 1700s. During the Revolutionary War, it became a final resting place for hundreds - perhaps thousands - of soldiers who died in nearby field hospitals and makeshift prison camps. Many of these men died from wounds, disease, or brutal conditions, and their identities were never recorded.
A Memorial for the Unnamed
In response to the discovery, the city erected a proper memorial in 1957: the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The centerpiece is a crypt containing the remains of one of the unearthed individuals, placed there to represent all the unnamed patriots who died for a country still being imagined.
Above the tomb stands a bronze statue of George Washington, flanked by an eternal flame and an inscription that reads, “Freedom is a light for which many men have died in darkness.” Few places in the city evoke as much quiet emotion.
Sacred Ground, Unspoken Names
When we visit this site on our walking tour, I always remind visitors: this is not just a monument - it’s a graveyard. Not because of who we know is buried here, but because of who we never got to know.
It’s a place to honor the cost of freedom - not through stories we can tell, but through those we never got the chance to hear.