Terms Used: “Graveyard”, “Cemetery” or “Memorial Park”?

A little at a time: The two words which tend to get mis-used are those of Cemetery and Graveyard so here are a few definitions for you:


Graveyard – An area set aside for burial of the dead; a common burying ground of a church or community.

Cemetery – any place where more than one body has been buried, especially (but not necessarily) with grave markers. Different governmental agencies have slightly different criteria for what legally constitutes a cemetery.

Memorial Park – A cemetery of the 20th century cared for in perpetuity by a business or non-profit corporation;  generally characterized by open expanses of greensward with either flush or other regulated gravernarkers; in the last half of the 19th century, those with flush markers were called “lawn” cemeteries.