Mount Hope was created near the end of the 19th Century when the Archdiocese of Toronto was faced with a capacity issue at St. Michael's Cemetery.

Land was found further north of Toronto and Mount Hope was consecrated on July 9, 1898, by Catholic Archbishop John Walsh.

[2] Within 50 years, Mount Hope was facing a capacity issue and in 1954 Holy Cross Cemetery, Thornhill, Ontario, opened to ease the burden on Mount Hope.

With additional land added next to the property, Burke Brook Ravine was buried as storm sewer in 1960 (the ravine exists northeast of the cemetery through Sunnydene Park).

[citation needed] By the end of the 20th century, the cemetery was full, holding the remains of more than 76,000 persons.