WELCOME TO WORCESTER'S HOPE CEMETERY HOME PAGE.

A view of Hope Cemetery showing the recently conserved
Houghton Mausoleum.

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HOPE CEMETERY, A SHORT HISTORY

Hope Cemetery, dedicated in 1852, is Worcester’s second oldest garden cemetery and one of the most beautiful spots in New England. Situated near the top of Webster Street and  visible from Highway 290,
 

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING the Friends of Hope Cemetery, please contact Chester Caswell at slwn@ix.netcom.com to receive membership information.

IF YOU VISIT Hope Cemetery, be sure to see the beehive-shaped James Norcross Mausoleum. This resting place of one of the famous Norcross Brothers, the "Master Builders of Worcester", was recently restored by the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the Friends of Hope Cemetery.

Order the 2008 Hope Cemetery Calendar! It is an 11 x 17 spiral bound wall calendar that includes 12 beautiful color photographs that reflect the natural landscape of the cemetery and the four seasons. Included among the 12 photographs will be the 4 winning entries from our photo contest. The cost of the calendar is $15 with an additional $5 for shipping and handling. For printing purposes, the deadline for orders is Monday, November 26. Click here to order.

Hope is a carefully planned landscape of 168 acres filled with architecturally important mausoleums and monuments, carefully tended gardens and rare specimen trees.

Any citizen of Worcester has the right to be buried in Hope Cemetery and it is the last resting place of the people who shaped Worcester — industrialists and workers, inventors and merchants, people of all ages, races and beliefs. Among its many notable gravesites are those of Revolutionary war heroes like Capt. Peter Slater of the Boston Tea party, abolitionists and early feminists like Abby Kelley Foster and Eli Thayer, poet Elizabeth Bishop and rocket pioneer Robert Goddard.

OUR MISSION  
The Friends of Hope Cemetery, founded in 1991, promote the conservation, beautification and recognition of the cemetery. Ongoing conservation programs assist in saving monuments and mausoleums that are at risk. In past years, the Friends have held a variety of programs including lectures and cemetery tours. They have funded and created a small reflective garden in the Common Ground and other small gardens. Through the advocacy of the Friends, Hope Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. This non-profit organization invites interested persons to become members.
 
Photos by Worcester artist Mari Seder. From top of page: View of Hope Cemetery with Houghton Mausoleum; Independent Orderof the Odd Fellows monument in autumn; tulips grace the grounds of Hope Cemetery in the Spring.
How to contact us
 Chester Caswell (caswell )
 slwn@ix.netcom.com
 119 Webster St.  Worcester, MA 01603 United States of America 
 Phone: 508-799-1531   
 Fax: 508-799-1253
Directions to Hope Cemetery
Hope Cemetery at City of Worcester Website