[1] The cemetery came into existence in 1840, when the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company donated 20 acres (81,000 m2) of land in downtown Manchester to the city for the purpose of creating a public burial ground.

It was designed as a "garden cemetery", meant to be a place where the public could stroll along its walkways, carriage paths and bridges.

In this Victorian Era, "garden cemeteries", in which not only the dead resided, but the living communed with each other and with nature, were popular.

A receiving tomb was built at Valley Cemetery in 1888, used to store the deceased during winter when the ground was frozen.

[3] The group has partnered with city officials to coordinate maintenance efforts and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants for future restoration.