Huntington’s Mt. Hope Cemetery is Listed on the National Register

The effort to recognize the historical importance of Huntington’s Mt. Hope Cemetery came to fruition when word was received that the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 1.

President of the Mt. Hope Cemetery Board of Directors, Rob Miller, initiated the process to determine eligibility for the National Register recognition in early 2023 when he met with preservation consultant, Kurt West Garner of KW Garner Consulting. Following a meeting with the Mt. Hope Cemetery Board of Directors, research and documentation work began mid-2024. The National Register nomination was submitted to the Huntington Historic Preservation Commission and the Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology for review. A recommendation to the National Park Service, keeper of the National Register, on April 15, 2026.

The cemetery was first established by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodge in Huntington in 1877. The site is nearly forty acres on the city’s west side and was the city’s first organized cemetery. Its hillside location with large trees and knolls features Rural Cemetery Movement planning in its original east sections This older area features winding drives, monumental gravestones, and family mausolea. When the cemetery added a large Egyptian Revival community mausoleum designed by noted Ft. Wayne architects, Mahurin & Mahurin in 1919, it began an expansion on its west side that featured a simpler plat. A small, separate cemetery owned by Huntington Township, known as Hillcrest, was purchased from Mt. Hope in 1888 to relocate graves of early Huntington pioneers from other locations.

Mt. Hope Cemetery qualifies for the National Register under social history. Due to a growing population and a desire to have a more pleasing area in which to bury its citizens, Huntington’s Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge established the cemetery in 1877. The cemetery also qualifies under areas of art and architecture, as well as landscape architecture. The cemetery features mausolea of notable architectural significance including its Egyptian Revival style community mausoleum and classically inspired architecture of family mausolea. Intricate carvings of monuments, such as obelisks and large spheres atop family stones, are artistically significant. The cemetery is important as an example of the Rural Cemetery Movement, which marries landscape design with a Victorian-era embrace of the Picturesque.

The National Register of Historic Places is a function of the National Historic Preservation Act, established in 1966, to recognize sites and buildings that are important to our heritage. The program provides rehabilitation tax credits and grants for qualifying work to homeowners and for-profit and non-profit entities This includes churches and municipalities.

Mt. Hope Cemetery Board President Rob Miller stated:

"The Mt. Hope Cemetery Board of Directors is honored to receive this historic designation in recognition of the cemetery's enduring significance to our community. We are committed to preserving its rich history, honoring those who rest here, and ensuring that this treasured landmark continues to serve and inspire future generations."