Among the many startling statistics and aspects of Mt. Hope Cemetery, which is located in Rochester, New York, is the fact that there are approximately 375,000 "permanent" residents of the burial ground. Considering there are roughly 200,000 current inhabitants of the city of Rochester, the heretofore number of those in the cemetery is downright staggering.
However, Rochester was deemed America's first boom town, in large part because of its presence along the Erie Canal that was dug in the earlier half of the 19th century. The proliferating number of jobs that stemmed primarily from the canal's establishment contributed mightily to the ensuing boom. With its exploding population came a subsequently exponential rise in the number of deaths in the area. Hence, Mt. Hope became the region's, and the nation's for that matter, first public final resting place, in 1838. Up until then, the deceased were buried in church graveyards, if they were even buried at all.
Mt. Hope "Ghost Walk" A "Creepy" Tour
Although my wife had in the past traversed the grounds numerous times, I had only set foot inside Mt. Hope Cemetery only one other time before our participation in what was dubbed the "Ghosts of Mt. Hope Ghost Walk" on Tuesday, October 25. Accompanied by our daughter, we arrived at the expansive cemetery's very northern entrance - off of Mt. Hope Avenue, which happens to be a major city thoroughfare - well in advance of the 7:30pm tour start time.
That it was raining steadily only seemed to elevate the creepiness factor to the proceedings. As the name of the tour suggested, there were trails delineated by lit torches, which generated for this particular evening a mystical and almost surreal aura. The tour guide for our group of about 20 persons knew her stuff. She regaled us in sordid - and not so sordid - stories of former Rochester residents that have for several decades called Mt. Hope "home."
Although not specifically incorporated in the tour, the likes of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, two of the most celebrated Rochesterians who are also interred at Mt. Hope, were briefly discussed. We actually passed Anthony's grave, which is unremarkable, comparatively speaking. Her efforts to engender equality for women everywhere were anything but ordinary, as was Douglass' determination to abolish slavery.
Architecture In Mt. Hope In Need Of Repair
As with any other older burial ground, Mt. Hope Cemetery is in constant need of rehabilitation. Most if not all of the older tombstones and other memorial displays - obelisks, mausoleums - were erected using marble, and with the typically harsh weather that Rochester experiences, these structureshave unremittingly eroded. The decaying landmarks enhanced the chilling feel to our ghost walk yet the daylight hours reveal a burial ground, and in essence an urban park, that is in various stages of decomposition.
A formal announcement by public officials on Monday, October 31 (Halloween) that highlighted a small portion of the total amount that will be required to significantly upgrade Mt. Hope, took place. One of the mausoleums we encountered along the tour, that belonging to the Rau family, was one of those featured during the much-publicized gathering. All told, somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million is targeted as an amount necessary to complete the comprehensive revitalization.
Mt. Hope Cemetery is open year round to the public. General tours are conducted almost year round, with more specific excursions running between the latter portion of April and the end of October. Parking inside the cemetery is free. Most if not all of the more generalized tours are also free of charge.
Sources
- (2011). The Friends of Mt. Hope Cemetery
- Rochester's History: An Illustrated Timeline. Glossary Of Victorian Cemetery Symbolism.
- Sharp, B. (2011). Some restoration is complete at Mt. Hope Cemetery: more work awaits.
Join the Conversation