Hi all! Last night Jeff and I had a wonderful time out with friends. For the 2nd year in a row we went to the Onondaga Historical Association's "Oakwood Cemetery Ghostwalk".
It is a tour through one of Syracuse's largest park like cemeteries. It was built in 1859 by Howard Daniels.
Jeff and I as we waited for our group to start. It has rained for a few days straight so we really got lucky with the weather!
It is a tour through one of Syracuse's largest park like cemeteries. It was built in 1859 by Howard Daniels.
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| From Wikipedia 1909 postcard of the old original entrance facade built in 1902, which has been closed off since the building of Interstate 81, years ago. Last summer, Caiden and I had the chance to walk around up there on the elevated railroad track part. Very cool indeed. I will have to find those pictures. |
From the website ShadesofOakwood.com:
"In the early 1850's a group of prominent men in Syracuse began looking for
grounds for a new cemetery. In the forefront of this group were E.W. Leavenworth
and John Wilkinson. Meetings were held on and off until the late 1850's when the
group began to act. The men were interested in making the new burial ground a
rural cemetery, which was a popular cemetery style during that time period. In
contrast to burial grounds in the city which were overcrowded, odoriferous, and
were prone to vandalism this cemetery was to be an attractive and civilized
place to bury one's loved ones. The chosen site encompassed a glacial hill where
springs carved valleys around steep slopes forested with massive oaks. The rural
cemetery, designed as a series of landscape pictures, was to be a place of
spiritual fulfillment for the living as well as a resting place for the dead. An
overall picturesque effect was achieved through varied topography, irregular
land division, winding roads and paths, and controlled internal views. The rural
cemetery was designed to be a place of natural and man-made beauty, where
individuals and families could escape their everyday lives and enjoy the
surroundings."
It truly is a beautiful, peaceful place. While not a traditional "ghostwalk" this was a walking tour where we meet some of Syracuse's famous and infamous that now 'reside' in Oakwood. Portrayed by actors, each person shares their life here in Syracuse and what they did to make them famous.
This years inhabitants are:
Comfort Tyler (1764-1827)
One of the earliest settlers in Onondaga County. He surveyed the land and roads and held a number of political offices. Comfort Tyler was also affiliated and arrested with Aaron Burr for treason, because of surveying land in Texas. The charges were dismissed. Comfort was buried elsewhere but was brought back to Syracuse to be reinterred with family in the Cornelius Tyler Longstreet mausoleum which looks like a pyramid.
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Cornelius Tyler Longstreet mausoleum erected in 1875. 
Milton Price (1825-1889)
The Merchant Prince of Syracuse owned a department store located across from his mansion on Salina Street near Jefferson Street. He was known for his wild promotional antics and charitable deeds.
Old advertisement for Milton S. Price store
Milton S. Price in front of his cash register, telling us about his life.
John Wilkinson (1868-1951)
Inventor of the air cooled engine for the Franklin Automobile Company among other automotive inventions. He was also known as a champion cyclist and athlete.
Wikipedia image
John Wilkinson source:Wikipedia
John Wilkinson telling us about his sporting achievements.
Wilkinson monument
Dr. George Greeley (1844-1902)
Dr. Greeley was a local homeopathic doctor who suffered through a terrible loss of losing his sister, daughter and wife to illness and was unable to save them with his remedies. He was plagued by scandal after scandal for forgery and public intoxication. These events led to him committing suicide on the steps of the Oakwood Cemetery Chapel.
Oakwood Cemetery Chapel
Dr. George Greeley in the chapel telling us about his terrible choices in life. It was creepy and dark in there.
This was behind us as we were listening to the Doctor. The walls were lined with them. We weren't told what they were but if we had to guess, some sort of temporary vaults. Did I mention creepy??
Here are some other photo's from our walk through the cemetery.
Sabey monument built into the hill.
Erie picture of the same monument shown on in the hill.
Weiting monument all grown over.
How Weiting looked in the 1890's.
source: ShadesofOakwood.com
The Haggerty Lion.
From ShadesofOakwood.com:
 brother Thomas, who was two years younger than Michael, was an art
student at Syracuse University when his parents asked him to create a special
and original memorial. Michael had always liked lions and his mother thought a
lion would be appropriate - a friendly protector, inviting but with claws.
Thomas began work on the monument in the summer of 1981. He formed the clay
image in his garage, spraying and wrapping his work each night. After this
initial phase, the large figure was moved outside of his home and his work was
supervised by an Syracuse University instructor. After a year's work, the 620 pound bronze statue
was ready for placement. Michael had originally been buried at St. Mary's in
DeWitt, but the authorities responsible for the diocese cemeteries objected to
the monument. Michael was then reinterred in a special spot at Oakwood with the
lion standing guard. Many people do not know about the Haggerty lion because it
is situated in a wooded area and during seasons with leaves, it is well
concealed. The lion can be found across the road from the Chapel. At the corner
where the woods begin is a small trail which leads about 20 feet up a small
incline to the monument."The beautiful monument is completely hidden unless you know where you are looking, I had to be reminded that it was back there.   Source: Wikipedia
Being a genealogist I really love this cemetery. The history and information a cemetery can give a family historian is immeasurable. We have done some letterboxing in Oakwood also. I loved the monuments so much that our wedding photo's were taken there in 2007!!
I apologize for the fuzzy scanned photo's, it's hard to scan a wedding album!
   All photo's were taken at the Chapin monument. It is a huge structure of Greek style columns. Marie and Henry Chapin were wealthy socialites that lived in Syracuse in the early 20th century. It's hard to believe that there are only 2 people buried at such a large structure. It is so beautiful. 
source: findagrave.com
 
Google Earth
Well anyhoo, that's my love affair with Oakwood Cemetery. I look forward to next years tour!!
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I LOVE exploring historical places like this. Makes me feel homesick, nostalgic, and yet happy. Great post!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! I love historical places that are teeming with history - and mystery - like this so very much. Whenever I hear the words ghost walk, I'm reminded of the summer (back when I was a teenager that) I worked in the historical gold mining ghost town of Barkerville, B.C., which has absolutely no shortage of (alleged) ghosts - including at least two that I think I may have seen (I definitely had two spooky encounters that I can't quite explain, that much is sure!).
ReplyDelete♥ Jessica