Mount Hope Cemetery is an active cemetery, founded in 1838 and is the first municipal cemetery in the United States. Initially developed to deal with the outbreak of cholera, it now sprawls over 195 acres adjacent to the University of Rochester and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Claims to fame…the gravestones of Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Nathaniel Rochester and a number of other well-knowns reside here, and you can explore more than 80 mausoleums. And here’s a fun fact: there are more people buried in Mount Hope Cemetery (350K) than living in Rochester NY (207K)!

You are welcome to explore the cemetery 365 days a year to walk, run and explore. Or, the Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery (FMHC) offers guided tours from May – October. In terms of its layout, Mount Hope Cemetery’s south side is considered the newer section and grows by 500+ graves per year, while the old north side is where history’s rubber meets the cobblestone roads and also resting locations of Nathaniel Rochester, Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass.