The History of Fulton's Mt. Adnah Cemetery
Fulton's Mt. Adnah Cemetery, founded on June 2, 1851, is a perfect example of a Nineteenth Century-designed landscape called a "rural cemetery." At the time, cemeteries often provided communities with its first form of landscape architecture.
The word Adnah is Syrian meaning "rest" or "repose." The cemetery therefore became the "Mount of Repose," a peaceful, beautiful place where friends and relatives rested.
Mt. Adnah fits its name as the design features that conform to the rural cemetery design idea of picturesque landscape with undulating contours, serpentine drives, planned prospects and naturalistic plantings, as well as a collection of original and second generation native trees. Within its boundaries can also be found examples of various types of mortuary architecture.
The establishment of Mt. Adnah was a direct response to the problem of a rapidly growing community with no truly permanent resting place for its dead. Nineteenth Century histories note a sequence of burial sites near the Village of Fulton, with removals made from one site to the next, as property was needed for housing. The last such removal was made in 1875 with the remains of the old cemetery at Rochester and Seventh Street re-interred in Mt. Adnah.
It is the burial place for many of Fulton's most important citizens, a number of whom played an important role in the early development of the city and the surrounding area.
The word Adnah is Syrian meaning "rest" or "repose." The cemetery therefore became the "Mount of Repose," a peaceful, beautiful place where friends and relatives rested.
Mt. Adnah fits its name as the design features that conform to the rural cemetery design idea of picturesque landscape with undulating contours, serpentine drives, planned prospects and naturalistic plantings, as well as a collection of original and second generation native trees. Within its boundaries can also be found examples of various types of mortuary architecture.
The establishment of Mt. Adnah was a direct response to the problem of a rapidly growing community with no truly permanent resting place for its dead. Nineteenth Century histories note a sequence of burial sites near the Village of Fulton, with removals made from one site to the next, as property was needed for housing. The last such removal was made in 1875 with the remains of the old cemetery at Rochester and Seventh Street re-interred in Mt. Adnah.
It is the burial place for many of Fulton's most important citizens, a number of whom played an important role in the early development of the city and the surrounding area.
Original Trustees
At the 1851 meeting of Mt. Adnah's founders, the following men were appointed trustees: Aaron Fish, Henry Broadwell, O.O. Shumway, Sands N. Kenyon, John E. Dutton, Willard Osgood, Dr. Moses Lindley Lee, William Schenck and Lewis E. Loomis.
It is noteworthy that civic leaders in Fulton displayed such progressive thinking in founding a cemetery as early as 1851, as most similar cemeteries had been created in much larger cities. Fulton's early establishment of a rural cemetery may have been due to the fact that Dr. Moses Lindley Lee, physician and civic leader, had served in the New York State Assembly in 1847, the year state legislation was passed authorizing the incorporation of rural cemeteries and may well have championed the idea of such in Fulton.
Peter Schenck, a highly regarded surveyor, with the assistance of Dr. Moses Lindley Lee, was employed in 1853 to survey, layout and map 12 acres on the northwest side of the property. The pair soon added another eight acres to their cemetery layout. While its design was relatively simple compared to big city cemeteries, Mt. Adnah incorporated all the necessary design principles for a rural cemetery. An 1867 map of Fulton included the cemetery plan and showed very clearly that Peter Schenck laid out the cemetery with a curvilinear circulation system that took advantage of the site's naturally varied terrain.
Surfaced with cobblestones, the graceful curves and easy grades followed the natural contours of the land. The planned route afforded the visitor a means to tour the grounds without retracing his steps, as well as easy access to all plots. The layout of the grounds lent itself well to walks through the lavish grounds with monuments representing a large range of architectural styles. The grounds were covered with pine and red and white oak trees.
Mt. Adnah's founders created an institution worthy of support from all factions in the community and the cemetery lent stability to the village that was populated with a diversity of people with many ethnic backgrounds. As documented in the Cemetery's 1855 report, it was the intention of the public-spirited founders to provide for the entire population. Prior to the purchase of 15 acres of Mt. Adnah land in 1873 by the Roman Catholic Church, there had been a separate Roman Catholic section on the southwest side of the Mt. Adnah Cemetery. Records indicate that on September 23, 1853, D. R. Case was the first internment in Mt. Adnah Cemetery. As Fulton grew during the late 19th century, additional land was purchased, bringing the total to 44 acres.
Please CLICK HERE to read more.
It is noteworthy that civic leaders in Fulton displayed such progressive thinking in founding a cemetery as early as 1851, as most similar cemeteries had been created in much larger cities. Fulton's early establishment of a rural cemetery may have been due to the fact that Dr. Moses Lindley Lee, physician and civic leader, had served in the New York State Assembly in 1847, the year state legislation was passed authorizing the incorporation of rural cemeteries and may well have championed the idea of such in Fulton.
Peter Schenck, a highly regarded surveyor, with the assistance of Dr. Moses Lindley Lee, was employed in 1853 to survey, layout and map 12 acres on the northwest side of the property. The pair soon added another eight acres to their cemetery layout. While its design was relatively simple compared to big city cemeteries, Mt. Adnah incorporated all the necessary design principles for a rural cemetery. An 1867 map of Fulton included the cemetery plan and showed very clearly that Peter Schenck laid out the cemetery with a curvilinear circulation system that took advantage of the site's naturally varied terrain.
Surfaced with cobblestones, the graceful curves and easy grades followed the natural contours of the land. The planned route afforded the visitor a means to tour the grounds without retracing his steps, as well as easy access to all plots. The layout of the grounds lent itself well to walks through the lavish grounds with monuments representing a large range of architectural styles. The grounds were covered with pine and red and white oak trees.
Mt. Adnah's founders created an institution worthy of support from all factions in the community and the cemetery lent stability to the village that was populated with a diversity of people with many ethnic backgrounds. As documented in the Cemetery's 1855 report, it was the intention of the public-spirited founders to provide for the entire population. Prior to the purchase of 15 acres of Mt. Adnah land in 1873 by the Roman Catholic Church, there had been a separate Roman Catholic section on the southwest side of the Mt. Adnah Cemetery. Records indicate that on September 23, 1853, D. R. Case was the first internment in Mt. Adnah Cemetery. As Fulton grew during the late 19th century, additional land was purchased, bringing the total to 44 acres.
Please CLICK HERE to read more.