Maine’s Mount Hope Garden Cemetery is the 2nd Oldest in the U.S.

Join us on a virtual tour of the most beautiful cemetery in Maine, which is also one of the first of its kind anywhere in the country.

Bangor, Maine's Mount Hope Garden Cemetery is the 2nd Oldest in the U.S.

You don't always think of walking through cemeteries for enjoyment, but the 2nd oldest Garden Cemetery in the U.S. was built for just that reason in Bangor, Maine.

I walked through today for the very first time and it's beautiful, amazing, and fascinating.

READ MORE: Maine's Beautiful Cemeteries and the Stories They Tell

Established in 1836, Mount Hope Cemetery was built in response to a national movement to incorporate what we now know as green space in city centers. Before these garden cemeteries, most eternal resting places were more urban, with no grass or feeling of serenity.

Central Park in New York City was also part of this movement.

Bangor, Maine's Mount Hope Cemetery Has Some Famous Residents

Mount Hope Cemetery was designed by Charles Bryant, an architect who left his mark, literally, all over Bangor. If you've ever seen a historic building in Bangor that has a unique wreath carved into the woodwork, that's a Bryant design.

Bangor, Maine, was incorporated in 1834, and Mount Hope Cemetery was established just two years later. It includes roughly 300 acres of land with over 30,000 individuals spending their eternal rest in its idyllic setting.

Some are better known than others.

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Hannibal Hamlin, who served as Vice President under President Abraham Lincoln, is buried in Mount Hope, as well as gangster Al Brady, who was gunned down by FBI agents in downtown Bangor on Columbus Day, 1937.

The only garden cemetery older than Mount Hope is the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which was established in 1831.

Bangor, Maine's Mount Hope Cemetery Features Turtles, Geese, and History

Many people visit Mount Hope Cemetery to see the turtles and geese, listen to the chapel bells, and climb the ancient steps. Next time you visit, think about the history of this sacred place. While visitors are welcome, they are asked to remember that it is a place of mourning and should be treated with respect.

Let's take a look around.

Mount Hope Cemetery: 📍 1048 State Street, Bangor, Maine