Batavia Cemetery
Why it's listed
Batavia Cemetery lies on the east side of Harvester Avenue in Batavia, New York. Opened in 1823, it is the city's oldest cemetery, and its first burials were moved from the flood-prone West Main Street Cemetery of 1806. Today it holds more than 8,000 burials in 629 plots, laid out in a grid on a low knoll and lined with mature trees. A cast-iron fence with Italianate posts marks the Harvester Avenue side. Notable features include a small Greek Revival tool shed, the red granite Richmond Mausoleum, a thirty-two-foot obelisk for surveyor Joseph Ellicott erected in 1849, and the statue of William Morgan, whose 1826 disappearance fueled the Anti-Masonic movement. The cemetery also contains the graves of journalist Arthur Brisbane and his father Albert, railroad executive Dean Richmond, and General John Henry Martindale. Its monuments show the funerary styles of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is Batavia's oldest cemetery and holds the graves of the community's first settlers and leading citizens. It contains the Morgan monument, tied to the 1826 disappearance of William Morgan, and the graves of five people of major importance: Albert and Arthur Brisbane, Joseph Ellicott, Dean Richmond and General John Henry Martindale. It also shows changing nineteenth-century funerary art.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 02000309, listed April 8, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Harvester Ave., Batavia |
|---|---|
| County | Genesee County |
| Listed | April 8, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000309 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1823-1939 |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Communications, Social History, Community Planning and Development, Politics/Government, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a cemetery; some secondary roads are grassed over and efforts are underway to replace removed trees. |
| Acreage | 9.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.99346, -78.17105 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 02000309.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4868665
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.