Evergreen Cemetery
Why it's listed
Evergreen Cemetery occupies a south-facing hillside above the village of Owego, about a mile from the center. Established by village trustees in March 1851 as a non-denominational burial ground, it grew from 11.2 acres to 51.2. Local civil engineer Stephen Dexter surveyed and platted it in 1852. Its terraces, curving roads, ravines with stone-lined brooks and carefully placed plantings follow the picturesque tradition of the rural cemetery movement. Features include an iron entrance gate, a small Gothic chapel with receiving vault built in 1920, six mausolea, Egyptian Revival obelisks, iron hitching posts shaped like saplings, and a Civil War section marked by cannons. Notable burials include SaSaNa Loft, a Mohawk woman killed in a railroad accident in 1852, and politician Thomas C. Platt, whose monument was designed by Ernest Flagg. The cemetery was listed for its landscape design and its record of Owego's residents.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is an outstanding example of a mid-nineteenth-century rural cemetery in landscape architecture, with picturesque terraced grounds and views over the Susquehanna valley. It also shows changing funerary design across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and holds the burial record of many Owego residents and prominent citizens.
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 02000305, listed April 1, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | East Ave., bet. Erie St. and Prospect St., Owego |
|---|---|
| County | Tioga County |
| Listed | April 1, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000305 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1851-1951 |
| Architect / builder | Dexter, Stephen |
| Architectural style | Rural cemetery movement (picturesque/Romantic landscape design); Gothic style chapel |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Art |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a cemetery and open to the public; the chapel now serves as a receiving vault. Weathering, erosion, silted ditches and blocked culverts are noted as threats. |
| Acreage | 51.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.10491, -76.26536 (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 02000305.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5417187
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.