About The Kensico Cemetery

In 1889, at a time when cemeteries in New York City were reaching full capacity, the Kensico Cemetery founders sought to establish a cemetery consistent with the new, rural concept of the time. A large tract of farmland in the hamlet of Valhalla, later expanding to over 460 acres, was carefully selected, approved for use as a cemetery, and developed to take advantage of the natural features of the landscape. Roads were designed to curve gradually and gracefully through the valleys and over hills, creating a spacious, tranquil, pastoral place where loved ones could be buried and remembered for eternity.

Throughout its more than 100 years of history, Kensico has responded to the needs and preferences of lot owners: the Community Mausoleum was built in 1924 to offer above-ground burials; Sharon Gardens was established in 1953 as a special section dedicated for families of the Jewish faith; monument and memorial park areas were created to provide more options to the public; Angel’s Rest was developed to memorialize the burial of infants, and, most recently, the Garden Mausoleum at Montross Pond was built as an above-ground, open-air mausoleum with available crypts and niches.