[3] Francis Julius LeMoyne had it built in 1876 on his own land, perched atop a location known locally as Gallow's Hill in North Franklin Township near Washington, Pennsylvania.

LeMoyne believed that cremation was a more sanitary way to dispose of bodies, preventing the contamination of drinking water.

[4] Dr. Francis LeMoyne believed that cremation was a more sanitary way to dispose of bodies, preventing the contamination of drinking water.

Baron Joseph Henry Louis Charles De Palm, an impoverished Bavarian noble,[5] was the first person to be cremated here (roughly 6 months after he died[6] and consistent with his wishes).

The final cremation had occurred the year prior, on November 28, 1900, after Mrs. Mary S. Booth's remains were disposed of in the retort.