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Spotlight: Oakwood Cemetery in Rensselaer County

March 7, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Oakwood CemeteryOakwood Cemetery in eastern Lansingburgh, within the northeast section of the City of Troy, is a place to honor loved ones, contemplate nature, explore art and architecture, and discover the rich history of Upstate New York.

Founded in 1848, Oakwood is one of America’s largest rural cemeteries, commanding a spectacular panoramic view of the Hudson Valley with trails, ponds, and waterfalls. Oakwood’s picturesque 300 acre landscape and stately monuments make it a popular spot for runners, dog- walkers, families, nature lovers, and history buffs.

It features four man-made lakes, two residential structures, the Gardner Earl Memorial Chapel and Crematorium, 24 mausolea, an Urn Garden, and includes about 60,000 graves along about 29 miles of roads.

Oakwood is the final home of many founders and leaders of communities in Upstate New York, including at least 14 members of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York State. It is also the final resting place of military service members who have fought in every U.S. conflict.

Many of the area’s most prominent citizens are buried there, including:

Samuel Wilson, believed to be the source of the “Uncle Sam” icon;

Russell Sage, a robber baron who was one of America’s richest people in 1906 and who was so fearful of his grave being robbed that he was buried in a steel casket in an unmarked mausoleum with an electric burglar alarm;

Jacob D. Vanderheyden, a founder of Troy;

Abraham Jacob Lansing, a founder of Lansingburgh;

Amos Eaton, a botanist and geologist and a founder of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute;

Mary Warren, founder of America’s first educational institution for “problem children”;

Emma Willard, pioneer of women’s education and founder of the Troy Female Seminary, which was later renamed Emma Willard School;

David Hillhouse Buel, a president of Georgetown University.

George Henry Thomas, a general during the Civil War, nicknamed the “Rock of Chickamauga”; and

John E. Wool, commander-in-chief of the American forces during the Mexican–American War, among others.

You can learn more about Oakwood Cemetery here.

Photo of Oakwood Cemetery courtesy Hudson River Valley Greenway.

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Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Cemeteries, Emma Willard, Lansingburgh, Military History, Monuments, oakwood cemetery, Rensselaer County, Troy

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