ArbNet created its Arboretum Accreditation Program to establish and share a widely recognized set of industry standards for the purpose of unifying the arboretum community. No other international program of accreditation exists that is specific to arboreta. Any arboretum or public garden with a substantial focus on woody plants may apply. Accreditation is based on self-assessment and documentation of an arboretum’s level of achievement of accreditation standards including planning, governance, number of species, staff or volunteer support, education and public programming, and tree science research and conservation. The ArbNet Accredited Arboreta exists within the Morton Register of Arboreta with its international headquarters in Lisle, Illinois, USA.
As of December 2024, there were 2,502 arboreta registered worldwide. There are four levels of registered arboreta. Level I through Level IV. Mount Bethel Cemetery submitted the necessary documentation to qualify for Level I status. On December 19, 2024 Mount Bethel Cemetery was awarded accreditation as a Level I arboretum (meeting the qualification minimum). This accreditation will certainly generate further development in the years to come. Spring 2025 we will begin a thorough plan to expand planting and nurturing. In decades past, Mount Bethel Cemetery claimed over 70 trees. The cemetery, as of January 2025, can only claim 25. This number will grow.
Before the arrival of Spring 2025, we will have chosen appropriate locations within the cemetery to plant, with a focus on varieties of species as we consider each tree’s growth pattern and depth and spread of their root system. In Spring 2025, planting will begin as we reach out to businesses and the community for help to purchase the trees we need. Starting size of the trees will depend on the funding we can attain. As we are sanctioned to choose a wide variety of species we must remain focused on planting the necessary trees to meet our goal.
Friend and associate to Mount Bethel Cemetery is Daniel Johnson who was instrumental in attaining our accreditation. Dan will also be acting as Arboretum Curator during this phase of our evolution.
John Houston Mifflin played a significant role in the creation and expansion of Mount Bethel Cemetery in Columbia, Pennsylvania. On October 12, 1852, John Houston Mifflin created the “New” or “Mifflin Cemetery” north of the existing Congregational burial grounds. His plan was to establish a cemetery incorprating three circles, though only one of these circles (Section A) remains visible in the cemetery today.
This “New” cemetery was officially approved by an act of the Pennsylvania Legislature on March 22, 1858. A decade later, in 1868, this new cemetery was incorporated into the larger Mount Bethel Cemetery. John Houston Mifflin was elected the first President of the Mount Bethel Cemetery Company when it was chartered on April 20, 1868. He served in this role for 12 years until his death in 1888.
While documentation doesn’t explicitly state that John Houston Mifflin donated land for Mount Bethel Cemetery, his actions in creating the “New” cemetery and his leadership role in the cemetery’s early years suggest he was instrumental in its establishment and growth. Indeed, John Houston Mifflin held many properties throughout Columbia, with much of those holdings known to have been located in the area in question. His family continued to support the cemetery, with his son Dr. Houston Mifflin later serving as president of the Mount Bethel Cemetery Company for forty-seven years.
The final resting place for John Houston Mifflin and Dr. Houston Mifflin are found in the oldest part of the cemetery established circa 1730, The Old Brick Cemetery.
John Houston Mifflin / donated the land to expand the cemetery and was the board’s first president.
Dr. Houston Mifflin / son of John Houston Mifflin held the office of president of the board for 47 years.
The one who plants trees knowing that he or she will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.
RABINDRANATH TAGORE
Mount Bethel Cemetery is an
Equal Opportunity Provider.
A 501(c)(13) Non-profit Organization.
Additionally, we are a Level One Accredited Arboretum working under the name: The John Houston Mifflin Arboretum at Mount Bethel Cemetery.