Original gazebo near the main gatehouse

It has also been an important part of Rochester’s history over the years. History of Mt. Hope starts when it was formed October 3, 1838. There is now197 acres of land and more than 350,000 graves. The gates changed from a wooden Egyptian gatehouse in 1850 until they turned it into a masonry gate in 1874. Then they turned it into the iron gate that you can see today.

There are eskers left by glaciers more than 50,000 years ago. These ridges wind through Mt. Hope Cemetery and were what the Native Americans used as paths. The Lily Pond, which is now called Sylvan Waters, was formed during the ice-age when icebergs fell from the glacier onto the ground. It has been filled with water ever since it was formed. The gazebo near the entrance, which was made in 1872 and fixed up by the Friends of Mt. Hope in the 1970’s is a place in the cemetery could visitors meet to have lunch and get out of the rain. The Friends of Mt. Hope are a group of volunteers who first started in 1979 and have been fixing up the cemetery ever since.

People of Mt Hope Cemetery (back to top)
There are many important people buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery. A few of the people buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery that you might not know of are Nathaniel Rochester, the founder of Rochester, New York, and Margaret Woodbury Strong who the Strong Museum was named after.

Frederick Douglass (back to top)

Frederick Douglass in his later years

Even though Fredrick Douglass lived in Rochester, he was born a slave. He became free man in 1838. He wrote The North Star and then changed it to The Fredrick Douglass Newspaper. The topics he wrote about were abolition of slavery and women’s rights issues. Frederick Douglass gave public speeches about the same issues he wrote about in his papers. He was an active abolitionist and women’s suffragist.

Anna Douglass was his first wife and Annie was his daughter. Annie died at age 11 when Frederick was in England. They wouldn’t let her be buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery because she was African American. Samuel Porter let the family bury her in his cemetery plot. Later, when they bought a Douglass plot, she was moved there.

Frederick Douglass’ second wife was Helen Pitts Douglass. She was a white woman and he proved that black men are not any different that white men by marrying a white woman. Helen Pitts Douglass was part of the Women’s Rights Convention which had to do with suffragists. She died in 1903 and is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery on top of Douglass’ first wife Anna. This is because they didn’t have any more room for her in the plot. Frederick was buried eight earlier in 1895.

Susan Brownell Anthony (back to top)

Public notice of Susan B. Anthony's arrest for illegal voting.

Born a Quaker on February 15, 1820 in Adams, Massachusetts. She moved to Rochester later and her family’s home in Rochester was often a meeting place for abolitionists. She fought for women’s rights. She was angry that a man would get paid more than a woman for the same job. But, her sister, Mary, was the first female principal to get the same salary as a male. Susan also was angry that women could not vote and white men could. She voted illegally and had a Federal Marshall come to her door and say she was arrested for voting. Susan was a friend of Elizabeth Cady Stanton who lived in Seneca Falls and was a women’s suffragist, also. Miss. Stanton wrote the Declaration of Sediments. It is a copy of the Declaration of Independence but it was re-written to include women. All three women are on the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, NY.

At a banquet to honor her 86th birthday Susan B. Anthony said her famous words “Failure is impossible.” After that night, she got pneumonia and soon died. More than 10,000 people attended her funeral. She is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery and Ms. Anthony’s Madison Street home is now a museum in Rochester, New York.

Amy and Isaac Post (back to top)
The Post family was Quakers and strong abolitionist. Isaac Post supported The North Star when Frederick Douglass was publishing it. Amy Post died in 1883, and her husband Isaac was buried in 1872.

Porter Family (back to top)
The Porter family is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery. Maria Porter lived to be 91 years old and was put to rest in 1896. Her house was a station on the Underground Railroad. She was often visited by many abolitionists, like Harriet Tubman.

Up for a Challenge?
After you have read the history of Mt. Hope Cemetery, try to solve some riddles using this FUN GAME!
Mount Hope Cemetery Riddle Game
(You may need to click on "Open" if your browser gives you options about what to do with the file.)

Related Links:
Frederick Douglass
Anna Murray Douglass
The Douglass Children
Helen Pitts Douglass
Susan B. Anthony
Porter Family
Amy Post
Isaac Post
Talman Bloc: North Star Office