Oakwood Cemetery is a historic cemetery located in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

. It was designed by Howard Daniels and built in 1859. Oakwood Cemetery was created during a time period in the nineteenth century when the

rural cemetery A rural cemetery or garden cemetery is a style of cemetery that became popular in the United States and Europe in the mid-nineteenth century due to the overcrowding and health concerns of urban cemeteries. They were typically built one to five ...

was becoming a distinct landscape type, and is a good example of this kind of landscape architecture. Oakwood-chapel-2016-07

The original included about of dense oak forest with pine, ash, hickory and maple. A crew of 60 laborers without large-scale earth moving equipment thinned and grouped the trees; today there are many 150-year-old specimens. Students of SUNY-ESF and

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

, whose campuses are adjacent to Oakwood, can regularly be seen in the cemetery for instruction on plant species, capturing insect specimens, cemetery studies, or mammal surveys.

History

Oakwood was an immediate success after its dedication in November 1859. Thousands of visitors led to the establishment of omnibus service directly to the cemetery gates. Additions to the original acreage were laid out in a manner sympathetic to the original design. ''The Oakwood Cemetery project'', run by

libraries, digitizes and preserves valuable cemetery records.

Notable interments

Notable interments at Oakwood Cemetery include: * Anna Short Harrington (1897–1955), Working at the time as A Syracuse house maid, Anna Was discovered by “Quaker Oats Co." in 1935 while cooking her locally famous pancake recipe at the Syracuse state fair, at which time she became the marketing face of “Aunt Jemima”; An institutionally racist depiction of the “Mammy”-stereotype, used as a marketing tool. * Charles Andrews (1827–1918), chief judge of the NY Court of Appeals * Edward Gayer Andrews (1825–1907), a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

* Maltbie D. Babcock (1858–1901), 19th-century clergyman and author * Union Major General Henry A. Barnum (1833–1892), recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

* Willis B. Burns (1851–1915), businessman, Mayor of Syracuse, member of the New York State Assembly *

George F. Comstock George Franklin Comstock (1811–1892) was an American lawyer and politician. He was Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 1860 to 1861. Personal life Comstock was born on August 24, 1811, in Williamstown, New York. He graduated fro ...

(1811–1892), lawyer, politician, and judge, previous owner of the land tract where the cemetery stands *

Stephen D. Dillaye Stephen Devalson Dillaye (August 31, 1820 – October 3, 1884) was an American lawyer, author, and politician. In 1880, he was briefly the presidential nominee of the Union Greenback Labor Party. Early life and family Dillaye was born in 1820 in ...

(1820–1884), politician, lawyer, journalist * Herbert H. Franklin (1866–1956), American automobile magnate, businessman and industrialist *

Amos P. Granger Amos Phelps Granger (June 3, 1789 – August 20, 1866) was a U.S. Representative from New York, cousin of Francis Granger. Early life Granger was born in Suffield, Connecticut on June 3, 1789. He was the youngest of four children born to Dr. A ...

(1789–1866), became a general following the War of 1812 * John A. Green, a Utica native who served as brigadier general in the Civil War * William Jervis Hough (1795–1869), attorney, a general in the New York Militia of Cazenovia, 8th Cavalry Regiment, and a representative in the United States Congress *

Jesse Truesdell Peck Jesse Truesdell Peck (April 4, 1811 – May 17, 1883) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1872. Birth and family He was born on April 4, 1811, in Middlefield Center, Otsego County, New York. His family was of Eng ...

(1811–1883), a bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church and founder of

Irene Sargent Irene Sargent (February 20, 1852 - September 14, 1932) was an American art historian and leading advocate of the American Arts and Crafts movement, especially through her numerous influential articles in '' The Craftsman'' magazine. Family and ...

(1852–1932), art historian and

faculty member *

Joseph Lyman Silsbee Joseph Lyman Silsbee (November 25, 1848 – January 31, 1913) was a significant American architect during the 19th and 20th centuries. He was well known for his facility of drawing and gift for designing buildings in a variety of styles. His most ...

(1848–1913), architect *

Lyman Cornelius Smith Lyman Cornelius Smith (1850-1910) was an American innovator and industrialist. He is buried in a mausoleum in Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse, New York. Early business ventures L.C. Smith's first business venture occurred in 1873, when he opened a ...

(1850–1910), American industrialist * Union Major General

Edwin Vose Sumner Edwin Vose Sumner (January 30, 1797March 21, 1863) was a career United States Army officer who became a Union Army general and the oldest field commander of any Army Corps on either side during the American Civil War. His nicknames "Bull" or "Bul ...

(1797–1863) * Comfort Tyler (1764–1827), early pioneer in

Ernest Lynn Waldorf Ernest Lynn Waldorf (May 14, 1876 – July 27, 1943) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1920. He was born on a farm in the South Valley, Otsego County, New York. Waldorf united with the Central New York Annual C ...

(1876–1943), American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church * John M. Wieting (1817–1888), American lecturer and philanthropist

Gallery

File:Oakwood cemetery, The Magician's Eye, Syracuse NY, old cemeteries.jpg, Oakwood Cemetery

File:Oakwood Cemetery - Dedication Valley (Syracuse, NY).jpg, Dedication Valley

File:Oakwood Cemetery Chapel (Syracuse, NY).jpg, Oakwood Cemetery Chapel

File:June 24, 2008 017.JPG, The Soldier's and Sailor's Plot File:Grave at Oakwood Cemetery, Syracuse, New York.JPG, Grave of Lt. Col. Augustus Root of the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

. He was killed at Appomattox Court House, April 8, 1865. File:June 24, 2008 009.JPG, Memorial to veterans of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. File:Oakwood-cemetery 1920 chapel.jpg, Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse - 1920 - Chapel File:Oakwood-map-1912.jpg, Map (1912), Oakwood Cemetery File:Oakwood-Comfort-Tyler-02.jpg, Memorial to Comfort Tyler File:Oakwood-Crouse-Charles-E-02.jpg,

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

bronze door, mausoleum of Charles Edward Crouse File:Oakwood-Sumner-02.jpg, Memorial to Major Gen. E. V. Sumner & wife

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.oakwoodofsyracuse.com/
Historic Oakwood Cemetery Preservation Association

Oakwood Cemetery
at Abandoned
Oakwood Cemetery
at Find a Grave Cemeteries in Syracuse, New York Tourist attractions in Syracuse, New York 1859 establishments in New York (state) Monuments and memorials in Syracuse, New York

History

Notable interments

Gallery

See also

References

External links