How does a cemetery become a vibrant tapestry of life and legacy? Welcome to Mount Hope Cemetery. It is not just a burial ground. It is a chronicle etched in stone and shaded by ancient trees.
Mount Hope Cemetery is America’s first municipal Victorian Cemetery. Founded in 1838, Mount Hope arose from necessity. Rochester’s population boomed. Cholera struck. Church graveyards overflowed. A new, spacious resting place was needed outside the city limits.
Originally, someone wanted to flatten the hilly landscape. Fortunately, that person was fired. A new vision emerged. The cemetery would embrace nature’s beauty. This is in line with Victorian values. They considered nature good for health and moral life.
Mayor Gould initially balked. He thought the land was too hilly. However, a year later, he bought the first plot. He even built a mausoleum.
Mount Hope became a place for picnics and leisure. Rules were put in place. People had to keep their dogs on leashes. Also, they were not allowed to fire guns. On holidays, tickets were required. So many people wanted to visit.
As you wander through Mount Hope Cemetery, note the symbols. They tell stories. Fountains and depictions of water represent life. Acanthus leaves symbolize resurrection. They show life coming from death. Angels connect earth and heaven. A woman with an anchor embodies faith and hope.
Many could not read. So symbols communicated profound meanings. Wealthy citizens added sculptures to enlighten the public. Statues of hope, faith and weary pilgrims adorned the landscape.
Notice the tombstones. Before acid rain, the marble was brilliant white. Inscriptions evolved from “here lies the body” to “sacred to the memory”.
The Florentine Fountain is a highlight. Despite its name, it came from New York City. It was restored by the Friends of Mount Hope.
Mount Hope reflects beliefs about death and immortality. Biological immortality is living on through relatives. Theological immortality is resurrection or afterlife. Symbolic immortality involves one’s work. Teachers live on in students. Artists live on in their art.
Mount Hope Cemetery houses a gothic chapel and the first crematory in Western New York. Bodies were stored here in winter. The ground was too frozen to dig.
The cemetery showcases diverse architecture. Mausoleums line what is called “Philanthropists Row”. These belong to wealthy Rochesterians. Nathan Stein, founder of Stein Block Clothing, rests here. Edwin Strasenburgh of Strasenburgh Laboratories is also here. His wife Clara designed his monument using a bottle cap.
Frederick Douglass is one of the most famous people buried at Mount Hope. Visitors leave stones at his grave. This echoes an ancient Jewish custom.
Lewis Henry Morgan, the father of modern anthropology, is interred here. His epitaph reads “Non Hic Sumus”. It means “We are not here” in Latin.
Mount Hope is life-affirming. The natural world shows resurrection. The cemetery has its own social environment. People walk, jog and take pictures.
Mount Hope Cemetery holds the remains of over 2,100 Civil War participants. Colonel Pond, commander of the first colored cavalry, is buried here. A member of the 54th Massachusetts, the regiment featured in the movie “Glory,” also rests here.
A drummer boy from George Washington’s army is also buried here. Mount Hope is a repository of local and national history. The Ellwanger Barry Nursery enriched the cemetery with trees and shrubs.
Mount Hope endures as an active and life-affirming space. It invites reflection on life, death and the enduring human spirit. It’s a place where stories whisper from the stones. Mount Hope Cemetery provides consolation for mourners. It replenishes the soul and allows one to commune with nature.