Monongahela Cemetery
Also known as: Momongahela Cemetery and St. Mary's Cemetery
Why it's listed
Monongahela Cemetery occupies a wooded hillside near the center of Monongahela City, on the Monongahela River in Washington County. It was established in 1863 on thirty-two acres bought from a local farmer, laid out in the rural cemetery style by John Chislett, the first formally trained architect of importance in Pittsburgh. In 1915 Hare and Hare of Kansas City added a lawn park section of about sixty acres to the south, with open vistas and winding roads. The grounds hold roughly 20,000 burials, a rock-faced retaining wall with cannons marking a Civil War veterans plot, a Valiani family burial wall from 1918, and marble monuments by the local firm R.M. Gee and Sons. The cemetery is valued for its landscape design and for the record it preserves of the city's growth and ethnic diversity.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the cemetery is significant for its landscape design, which reflects two distinct cemetery traditions by notable designers, John Chislett and Hare and Hare. It also cites carvings by a locally important marble cutter and several statues, and the community history reflected in its burials and monuments.
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 01001116, listed October 14, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Cemetery Hill Rd. at Gregg St., Monongahela City |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | October 14, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01001116 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1863-1950 |
| Architect / builder | John Chislett (architect/landscape architect); Hare & Hare (landscape architects); Frank P. Keller (architect, 1894 chapel) |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Art |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 100.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.19465, -79.92214 (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 01001116.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6901789
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.