Mount Hope Cemetery in Bangor, Maine, is the second oldest garden cemetery in the United States. It was designed by architect Charles G. Bryant in 1834 and built by the Bangor Horticultural Society soon after, the same year that Bangor was incorporated as a city. The cemetery was modeled after Mt. Auburn Cemetery (1831) in Boston, Massachusetts. Bangor was at that time a frontier boom-town, and much of its architecture and landscaping was modeled after that of Boston. The site has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Purchased in July 1834, the land consisted of 50 acres of Lot 27, which was set along State Street - at the time known as County Road and later the "Road to Orono" - and the Penobscot River. It did not include all of the cemetery's central hill; instead, it cut across the crest of the hill and met up with what would later be Mount Hope Avenue. The land was approximately 660by with the longer side extending north-south along State Street. Approximately 12 acres was to be set aside for horticultural activities, and the rest of the land was to be used as a cemetery.
This was the preferred resting ground for Bangor's 19th- and early-20th-century elite. The cemetery includes the gravesites of Hannibal Hamlin, a U.S. Vice President who had also held office as Congressman, US Senator and Governor of Maine, a U.S. Senator, ten U.S. Congressmen, two U.S. Ambassadors, four Governors of Maine, eight Civil War Generals, and numerous "lumber barons" and other local businessmen and politicians. Actors Richard Golden and Ralph Sipperly are also buried there. See Mount Hope Garden Cemetery and all Bangor has to offer by arranging your trip with our Bangor trip itinerary maker.
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Mount Hope Garden Cemetery reviews
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We made it here doing a self guided Stephen King tour, but the place is awesome. It is very peaceful and beautiful. There is tons of history to be found here. Vice President Hannibal Hamlin is buried.... more
We made it here doing a self guided Stephen King tour, but the place is awesome. It is very peaceful and beautiful. There is tons of history to be found here. Vice President Hannibal Hamlin is buried.... more »
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This was close to our hotel and we needed a nice place to walk after flying all day. The gate was closed but other cars were parked outside the gate on the shoulder so we did the same. Beautiful!
This was close to our hotel and we needed a nice place to walk after flying all day. The gate was closed but other cars were parked outside the gate on the shoulder so we did the same. Beautiful! more »
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Really beautiful and very Different and unique cemetery. Beautifully maintained.
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I love visiting cemeteries and this one is very big, plus they have filmed Stephen King movies here.
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