Hope Cemetery and Mausoleum
Why it's listed
Hope Cemetery occupies 8.2 acres on the east side of Main Street at the southern edge of Newark Valley, New York. It began in 1820 as a half-acre village burial ground and grew through additions between 1866 and 1931, and the Hope Cemetery Association took over management in 1870. Gravel paths form two intersecting grids. Early slate tablets from the 1820s and 1830s remain legible and show fine carving, while later marble and granite monuments reflect Victorian and twentieth-century tastes. Across the street stands a mausoleum built in 1926 of reinforced concrete with marble-paneled interiors. Designed by Charles W. Smith of Waverly, it recalls a Greek temple and reportedly holds more than two hundred crypts. Its cost was reported as far above that of any other town building except the Central School. The property was listed for the artistic and architectural value of its gravestones and monuments, which trace changing attitudes toward death and memorialization from early settlement onward, along with its continuous community use since 1820.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues significance under Criterion C for the architectural and artistic value of the gravestones and monuments, which illustrate attitudes toward death and burial from the early nineteenth century through the Victorian era. The cemetery has been in continuous community use since 1820 and holds well-preserved, legible early slate tablets showing fine carving craftsmanship. It is tied to the town's settlement and village development contexts.
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 98000164, listed March 16, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Main St., at the town limits, Newark Valley |
|---|---|
| County | Tioga County |
| Listed | March 16, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98000164 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | Ca. 1820-1947 |
| Architect / builder | Mausoleum designed by Charles W. Smith of Waverly, New York; concrete work by Vern Sloat of Athens, Pennsylvania |
| Architectural style | Mausoleum: neo-classical, strongly reminiscent of Greek Revival; Architectural classification otherwise N/A |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Cemetery remains in continuous use as a cemetery; the privy is abandoned and the original fence and 1911 entrance gate are gone. |
| Acreage | 8.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.21119, -76.19009 (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 98000164.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5899184
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.