New Cathedral Cemetery

Story

New Cathedral Cemetery includes a combination of three old cemeteries. The first cemetery, St. Peter’s Kirkyard, opened in 1770 and was located at Cathedral and Saratoga Streets. In 1816, the Cathedral Cemetery was opened at Riggs and Fremont Avenues. At that time, everyone interred at St. Peter’s Kirkyard was relocated to the Cathedral Cemetery. Space once again ran out so in 1869 the Archdiocese of Baltimore purchased forty acres of land of what was outside the city line. Since then the city has moved to two miles past the cemetery. The land was the Bonnie Brae estate Owned by Capt. Charles McBlair. The ground was named the New Cathedral Cemetery. Seventeen years was spent relocating everyone from the Cathedral cemetery to the New Cathedral Cemetery. In 1936, St. Patrick’s Cemetery was moved from Orleans Street to a new section in New Cathedral appropriately named “St. Patrick.” The cemetery has since purchased an additional eighty-five acres assuring plenty of room for future generations.

The headstones and markers from all three old cemeteries, St. Peter’s Kirkyard, St. Patrick’s and Cathedral Cemetery, were installed at New Cathedral Cemetery. Many of these headstones are marble and can no longer be read. Marble does not stand up well to the urban environment. However, there is no denying the beauty and magnificence of the old headstones and statues.

The New Cathedral Cemetery is comprised of 125 acres of monuments spanning from the 1770’s to current times. It is looked after by a dedicated staff, some of whom have been here since the 1970’s. Our Historian has worked at the cemetery for thirty-eight years and still volunteers to come and help us with the old records.
The cemetery is the final resting place of more Hall of Fame baseball players than any other cemetery in the country. We have many other well-known sports figures, politicians, Civil War heroes, and famous personalities. We have some people who helped shape our nation and some who helped shape our town. And then there is Mother Mary Lange, who simply helped make the world better.

A Small Sampling of our Well-Known People
Martin Barry
Clarence (du) Burns
Thomas D’Alesandro, Jr.
Ned Hanlon
Joe Kelley
Henry & Marion Knott
Mother Mary Lange
Reginald F. Lewis
John McGraw
Harry McGuirk
Patrick Mullin
Lucius Northrup
Herbert O’Conor
Wilbert Robinson
John C. Stack
John Steadman
Surratt family


The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am - 4:00 pm.