Established 1823 and listed on the National Register—William Morgan, whose 1826 disappearance ignited the Anti-Masonic movement, has a monument here, and every October actors portray him and seven other buried figures by candlelight.
60 Harvester Avenue, Batavia, NY 14020
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
$15 per person for candlelit ghost walk; advance reservation required. Proceeds benefit cemetery restoration.
Access
Limited Access
9-acre 19th-century cemetery; uneven grass, gravel paths, low lighting during evening events
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1823 · Established 1823; over 8,000 burials · Joseph Ellicott (1760–1826) — Holland Land Company surveyor, laid out Batavia and Buffalo · William Morgan monument (1882) — Anti-Masonic movement origin · General John H. Martindale (1815–1881) · Dean Richmond (1804–1866) — New York Central Railroad president · National Register of Historic Places, 2002
Batavia Cemetery was established in 1823 as the city's primary burial ground, replacing an earlier graveyard prone to flooding from Tonawanda Creek. Situated on Harvester Avenue on the east side of the city, the 9-acre cemetery holds over 8,000 burials, the majority dating to the 19th century across 629 separate plots.
The cemetery's most historically significant monument belongs to Joseph Ellicott (1760–1826), the chief surveying agent for the Holland Land Company whose work directly shaped the development of western New York. Ellicott laid out the street plans of both Batavia and Buffalo. His sister Rachel Evans had him reburied here in 1849 beneath a 32-foot obelisk near the center of the grounds.
William Morgan (1774–1826), an Anti-Masonic activist who disappeared and was allegedly murdered after threatening to publish a manuscript exposing the secrets of Freemasonry, is commemorated here by a monument placed in 1882 by the National Christian Association—though his body is not buried on site. His disappearance in 1826 triggered a national political crisis and gave rise to the Anti-Masonic Party.
Other notable burials include Civil War General John H. Martindale (1815–1881), who later served as New York's Attorney General, and Dean Richmond (1804–1866), president of the New York Central Railroad, whose elaborate mausoleum is among the cemetery's most prominent structures. In 2002, the cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the first of two Genesee County cemeteries to receive that designation.
Sources
The haunted lore of Batavia Cemetery is organized around its real dead rather than invented spirits. The cemetery's annual candlelit ghost walk, presented by the Batavia Cemetery Association, features actors portraying famous and infamous figures whose lives shaped Batavia and the United States—with proceeds funding ongoing restoration of the grounds.
William Morgan, commemorated by an 1882 obelisk erected by the National Christian Association, anchors the darkest narrative in the cemetery. Morgan was a stonemason and alleged Freemason who in 1826 announced his intention to publish an exposé revealing Masonic rituals and secrets. He was arrested on dubious charges and subsequently disappeared. The prevailing historical interpretation holds that he was abducted and murdered by Masons to prevent publication. His disappearance ignited a national anti-Masonic movement and directly contributed to the rise of the Anti-Masonic Party as a significant third-party political force in the 1820s and 1830s.
Joseph Ellicott, buried under a 32-foot obelisk, shaped the physical landscape of western New York from the Holland Land Company's Batavia office before his death in 1826. Dean Richmond's elaborate mausoleum marks the grave of the man who ran the New York Central Railroad through the Civil War era. General John H. Martindale, who commanded Union forces at the Siege of Yorktown, rounds out a cast of figures whose actor portrayals have sold out the annual walk in recent years.
Notable Entities
Guided candlelit walks through the cemetery where actors portray William Morgan, Joseph Ellicott, John H. Martindale, Dean Richmond, and other buried figures from Batavia's past. Tours depart every 15 minutes from 7 p.m. Tickets $15; strong demand has required second nights in recent years.
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