Celebration of State Hospital Cemetery Project

A celebration will take place Sunday afternoon to mark the completion of a decade long project involving the Rochester State Hospital Cemetery. An organization called the RSH Cemetery Recognition Group has installed over 2000 grave markers at the historic cemetery.

Between 1879 in 1965, over 2000 people were buried on the State Hospital grounds. A marker at each gravesite featured a number that corresponded to the patient's State Hospital record for identification. The new markers installed by the group include the person's name, birthdate, and date of death.

The $400,000 project, which included landscaping, was funded by grants obtained by a small group of local citizens and private donations. The recognition group says the aim was to create a Sanctuary of Peace to return dignity and respect to those buried at the site. Plans are also in the works for the construction of a kiosk that will provide information about the history of the cemetery and guides to help visitors locate the graves of loved ones.

The celebration on Sunday is open to the public and is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. Following the program, flowers will be available for participants to place on individual graves. The cemetery is located near the 9th Street Northeast entrance to Quarry Hill Park.

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