[2] The cemetery dates back to 1844 and is recognized as a US National Historic Landmark due to its age, architecture, and notable burials.

[7] The results of the redesign earned Strauch praise in the U.S. and abroad,[8] including from Frederick Law Olmsted and the French landscape architect Edouard André.

[10] The Spring Grove Cemetery Chapel is listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places.

On October 23, 2013, cemetery staff removed a large and potentially disturbing SpongeBob SquarePants headstone from the grave of U.S. Army Corporal Kimberly Walker and another for her still-living sister a day after her funeral.

As of 2005, its National Champion trees were Cladrastis kentukea and Halesia diptera; its State Champion trees included Abies cilicica, Abies koreana, Cedrus libani, Chionanthus virginicus, Eucommia ulmoides, Halesia parvifolia, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Phellodendron amurense, Picea orientalis, Picea polita, Pinus flexilis, Pinus griffithi, Pinus monticola, Quercus cerris, Quercus nigra, Taxodium distichum, Ulmus serotina, and Zelkova serrata.