Mount Hope was consecrated as a private cemetery in 1852. At this time, the City of Boston was seeking to develop a municipal rural cemetery. In 1857, after several years of consideration, the City purchased Mount Hope Cemetery. It was the first large cemetery owned by the City, covering 85 acres.

Following the design tenets of the Rural Cemetery Movement, considerable attention was paid to the landscaping of the grounds and the layout of roadways. In addition to the numerous tree species planted in the cemetery, the seasonal floral displays attracted considerable attention. Mount Hope was established before the development of Boston’s park system and its beautiful grounds also served the local population as a site of passive outdoor recreation.

The prosperous development and recognition of Mount Hope Cemetery were not as rapid as many hoped for a variety of reasons. In addition to competition with other public and private cemeteries, the site was not easily publicly accessible, public perception was low, the site was difficult to develop, financing was tenuous, and the politics of the times were stressful. Despite these obstacles, burials increased and the cemetery acquired additional land resulting in its current area of 125 acres.

Over the years, special monuments have been erected to honor special groups such as veterans from the Grand Army of the Republic to the present, Elks, Boston Police, and the Odd Fellows. A large expanse of land at the rear of the cemetery contains the unmarked graves of the City’s indigent.