Lake View Cemetery
Why it's listed
Lake View Cemetery occupies about 50 acres on the western edge of Penn Yan, New York, on a gently rolling south-facing slope. David Wagener set aside two acres for a public burying ground in 1799 and became its first burial. In the mid-nineteenth century the grounds were reshaped as a Rural Cemetery, with winding roads, lobed burial sections, naturalistic plantings and views toward Keuka Lake. In 1906 landscape architect Albert Davis Taylor of Cornell University laid out a ten-acre addition on the more open lawn-park model, with flatter ground and smaller, more uniform markers. Buildings include a ca.1880 caretaker's cottage and the brick Gothic Revival Abraham Wagener Memorial Chapel of 1923-24. Monuments range from early marble and sandstone markers to obelisks, urns, children's memorials and cast iron plot fences. The cemetery contains the graves of many founding families of Yates County, fifteen Revolutionary War veterans and numerous Civil War veterans.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a largely intact cemetery that evolved from a settlement-era burying ground into a Rural Cemetery and then a lawn-park plan. It is also significant for its collection of funerary art spanning nearly two centuries. It holds the graves of many of Yates County's founding families and of veterans of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.
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 96000137, listed February 23, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | W. Lake Rd., Penn Yan |
|---|---|
| County | Yates County |
| Listed | February 23, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000137 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1799-1945 |
| Architect / builder | Taylor, Albert Davis |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Art, Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a cemetery; retains significant landscape elements from each phase of development, though the Elm Street gates are modern and a former veranda on the caretaker's cottage was enclosed in the early twentieth century. |
| Acreage | 50 |
| Coordinates | 42.66234, -77.06433 (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 96000137.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6478289
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.