Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester
Encyclopedia
Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York
, founded in 1838, is the United States
' first municipal rural cemetery
. Situated on 196 acres (793,000 m²) (0.3 square miles) of land adjacent to the University of Rochester
on Mount Hope Avenue, the cemetery is the permanent resting place of over 350,000 people. The annual growth rate of this cemetery is 500-600 burials per year.
s. One such esker snakes its way through much of Mount Hope Cemetery. The Seneca Indians
used it as a trail from the Bristol Hills south of Rochester
to Lake Ontario
on the city's northern border. For them, it provided a continuous high path through the moraine and visibility of valleys around them. Today, this esker
is a principal vehicular lane through the cemetery and is called Indian Trail Avenue.
General Elwell Stephen Otis
was originally interred at Mount Hope before being removed to Arlington National Cemetery
. Notable cremations at Mount Hope include Blanche Stuart Scott
and George Eastman
.
The Friends of Mount Hope have been instrumental in completing a number of improvements throughout the cemetery. Projects such as the restoration of the 1872 Moorish Revival
gazebo, upgrades to the 1874 High Victorian Gothic gatehouse, repair and uprighting of stones, monuments and obelisks, and the rebuilding of the cobblestone road (Ravine Avenue) have been completed.
They even allow volunteers to take part in the restoration with the "Adopt-A-Plot" program. Each year volunteers willing to reclaim and beautify old family plots help keep the rich history of this cemetery alive for future generations.
If you plan on visiting this unique landmark you can stop at the gatehouse where a free pocket guide which includes a map of Mount Hope Cemetery is available.
Richard Reisem is a Rochester resident and the city's unofficial historian. He wrote the text to the first book written about the history of Mount Hope in its 166 year existence. The photographs were taken by Frank Gillespie and the narration was provided by Richard Reisem. He has written six books covering diverse subjects concerned with history and architecture. Richard is a trustee of the cemetery and also provides guided tours.
Mount Hope Cemetery: America's First Municipal Cemetery
Buried Treasures in Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester, New York: A Pictorial Field Guide
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, founded in 1838, is the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' first municipal rural cemetery
Rural cemetery
The rural cemetery or garden cemetery is a style of burial ground that uses landscaping in a park-like setting.As early as 1711 the architect Sir Christopher Wren had advocated the creation of burial grounds on the outskirts of town, "inclosed with a strong Brick Wall, and having a walk round, and...
. Situated on 196 acres (793,000 m²) (0.3 square miles) of land adjacent to the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
on Mount Hope Avenue, the cemetery is the permanent resting place of over 350,000 people. The annual growth rate of this cemetery is 500-600 burials per year.
Geology of Mount Hope
About 12,000 to 14,000 years ago, Mount Hope was covered with ice one to two miles thick. As the glacier receded, cracks appeared in the ice, and these crevasses became rivers of water and gravel. When the miles-high ice sheets finally melted, these river beds were left as ridges created from all the rock and rubble that had been deposited by the flowing river. In geological terms, these ridges are called eskerEsker
An esker is a long winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North America...
s. One such esker snakes its way through much of Mount Hope Cemetery. The Seneca Indians
Seneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...
used it as a trail from the Bristol Hills south of Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
to Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
on the city's northern border. For them, it provided a continuous high path through the moraine and visibility of valleys around them. Today, this esker
Esker
An esker is a long winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North America...
is a principal vehicular lane through the cemetery and is called Indian Trail Avenue.
Notable burials
Elwell Stephen Otis
Elwell Stephen Otis was a United States of America General who served in the Philippines late in the Spanish-American War and during the Philippine-American War.-Biography:...
was originally interred at Mount Hope before being removed to Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
. Notable cremations at Mount Hope include Blanche Stuart Scott
Blanche Stuart Scott
Blanche Stuart Scott , also known as Betty Scott, was possibly the first American woman aviator.-Early life:...
and George Eastman
George Eastman
George Eastman was an American innovator and entrepreneur who founded the Eastman Kodak Company and invented roll film, helping to bring photography to the mainstream...
.
Friends of Mount Hope
The Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery is a non-profit organization of volunteers founded in 1980 to restore, preserve, and encourage public use and enjoyment of this unique historical treasure.The Friends of Mount Hope have been instrumental in completing a number of improvements throughout the cemetery. Projects such as the restoration of the 1872 Moorish Revival
Moorish Revival
Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of the Romanticist fascination with all things oriental...
gazebo, upgrades to the 1874 High Victorian Gothic gatehouse, repair and uprighting of stones, monuments and obelisks, and the rebuilding of the cobblestone road (Ravine Avenue) have been completed.
They even allow volunteers to take part in the restoration with the "Adopt-A-Plot" program. Each year volunteers willing to reclaim and beautify old family plots help keep the rich history of this cemetery alive for future generations.
If you plan on visiting this unique landmark you can stop at the gatehouse where a free pocket guide which includes a map of Mount Hope Cemetery is available.
Mount Hope Historians
Richard O. ReisemRichard Reisem is a Rochester resident and the city's unofficial historian. He wrote the text to the first book written about the history of Mount Hope in its 166 year existence. The photographs were taken by Frank Gillespie and the narration was provided by Richard Reisem. He has written six books covering diverse subjects concerned with history and architecture. Richard is a trustee of the cemetery and also provides guided tours.
Mount Hope Cemetery: America's First Municipal Cemetery
The Friends of Mount Hope published a coffee table book about the cemetery. Tales of heroism, tragedy, romance, torture, achievement, suicide, adventure, pageantry, intrigue, embezzlement, weird happenings, fame, and even cannibalism are interwoven with rich, moody large duotone photographs of Rochester's world-famous cemetery.
Buried Treasures in Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester, New York: A Pictorial Field Guide
Also by Richard O. Reisem with photographs by Frank Gillespie, "Buried Treasures" is a 176 page spiral bound pocket guide to the cemetery which contains short biographies of 500 notable persons interred therein, along with burial locations, maps, gravestone photographs and a brief guide to Victorian funerary symbolism.