Mount Adnah Cemetery
Why it's listed
Mount Adnah Cemetery occupies 44.9 acres on the eastern edge of Fulton, New York. The Mount Adnah Cemetery Association formed in 1851 and bought land from James Voorhees. In 1853 surveyor Peter Schenck, assisted by trustee Dr. Moses Lindley Lee, laid out the grounds as a rural cemetery. Curving carriage paths follow two ridges, their valleys and a series of knolls, and a summit circle was set aside for contemplation. Red and white oaks, many predating the cemetery, dominate the plantings. Family plots centered on large monuments give the grounds their picturesque character, among them the Edgarton figure sculpture and the Johnson tree-stump markers. Hillside vaults from 1864, 1877 and 1883, a superintendent's house of 1872, a barn of 1902, and a stone gateway of 1894 add to the setting. Newer sections show a shift toward the lawn cemetery type. The cemetery retains a high degree of integrity and reflects Victorian ideas about nature and remembrance.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a well-preserved example of a mid-nineteenth-century rural cemetery, with a curvilinear road system following the natural ridges, valleys and knolls, and a mature oak landscape. Its family plots, vaults and funerary monuments reflect Victorian attitudes toward nature and death. It also reflects the civic effort of Fulton's leaders, who founded it soon after state rural cemetery legislation was passed.
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 01000046, listed February 2, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 706 East Broadway, Fulton |
|---|---|
| County | Oswego County |
| Listed | February 2, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01000046 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Architect / builder | Peter Schenck (surveyor) and Dr. Moses Lindley Lee (design assistance) |
| Architectural style | Other: Rural Cemetery |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a cemetery; sections 25B, 26B and 27B are cleared but undeveloped and excluded from the nomination. |
| Acreage | 44.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.32055, -76.40311 (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 01000046.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6919261
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.