Mount Hope Cemetery was established in 1838 however records prove that burials did occur in the early 1800s. The cemetery itself sits roughly on 196 acres and has 14 miles in roads that run through different sections. The whole cemetery is Victorian and the architecture was done Neo-Romanesque by Warner and Colonial Nathaniel the founder of Rochester who also is buried here along with Rochester's First Mayor at the top of the hill. The cemetery has the most odd terrain since some of the hills reach over 300 feet and it was formed from our last ice age which was 13,000 years ago where a glacier dumped all the mud, rock and debris. Some of the most ancient trees our found in this cemetery over 150 years old.

 The Victorians sculpted and landscaped the area to give it a natural feeling and there were more tree/flower nurseries in Rochester then the whole United States which one of the largest was located right near Mt Hope. Many local area folks go up here to hike, jog and sit in the cemeteries park so this place is more then just a Cemetery it is also a place to curl up to a book and sit under a tree. 

There are many well known people buried here and I will list a few names to give you an idea. People like Susan B. Anthony, Buffalo Bills Children, Frederick Douglas, George Seldon, Union General E.G. Marshall just to name a few. The cemetery is very gorgeous some of the monuments rise 20-50 feet high and some of the statues are enormous as there is a World War I and Civil War section as well. There is a stone called the Child which was the first burial after the cemetery was consecrated. 

I started to become interested in this cemetery when I heard there are some old tunnels located beneath the cemetery. I was told that this is one of the hardest cemeteries to get in at night since it is covered by walls and rod iron. The tunnels are said to be used by Vampyres real or not I cannot say. However years ago they were used to store arms in back in World War I from what I have heard. The tunnels are said to be sealed however recently I was told of another opening which leads from one of the crypts. So there is quite an interest in them to our organization. 

In my opinion I believe that this would take months if not years to see everything here. This cemeteries is like many cemeteries together as stone stairwells, brick roads, and walled passageways lead to different areas. My time is short for staying in the WNY area so I probably will only have had the pleasure one time to visit here however more or less it was one of the most beautiful cemeteries I ever investigated. I believe that capturing a ghost would be more difficult here since the area is so large unlike a small cemetery where you can focus over one small area. However there have been ghost sightings reported here over the years and of course as much fun as it is researching the unexplained here it also is an adventure hiking up the steep hills.

Copyright By

Rick-AngelOfThyNight