History, Natural History & the Arts
After a hiatus in 2025, a flock of sheep are returning to Vale Cemetery today only, June 11th (sorry for the late notice).
Since the establishment of The Dell, Vale’s natural burial section, the Cemetery has hosted sheep and goats who help “mow” this unique area. [Read more…] about Sheep Returning to The Dell at Schenectady’s Vale Cemetery
On the frigid, snowy night of February 8, 1690, a band of French marauders and their Native American allies stormed the stockaded frontier village at what is now Schenectady, NY. Sixty people were slaughtered during the raid, including 10 women and 12 children, and 11 Black enslaved people, and dozens of others captured. About 60 residents were spared, including 20 Mohawk people. The raiders set fire to most of the homes and barns in the community, leaving the settlement in ruins.
What came to be known as the Schenectady Massacre was one of the first skirmishes of King William’s War (1689-1697), an attempt to conquer New York during the first clash between England and France for control of North America. [Read more…] about Remains of Woman Said Killed in Schenectady Massacre Being Re-interred
“The Vale,” as it was founded during the Rural Cemetery Movement as inner-city burying grounds were filling-up. America’s first rural cemetery of the style began in 1831 at Mt. Auburn Cemetery near Boston.
In Schenectady about 1850, the old public burying ground in the Stockade (located at present day Front and Green streets) was in an unsanitary condition. [Read more…] about Schnectady’s Vale Cemetery Clean-Up Planned
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced Environmental Protection Fund grant awards totaling $978,820 for urban forest assessment and planning projects across the state. [Read more…] about Nearly $1 Million in Urban Forestry Grants Awarded
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