Liverpool Village Cemetery
It Takes A Village
Syracuse in the mid-1800s was known for the canal and salt.
Salt Point, which was formed on the SE corner of Onondaga Lake,
later became the Village of Salina,
later Syracuse.
But Salt Point did not "own" its salt land.
It was owned as a separate "reservation".
All the land surrounding Onondaga Lake was
part of the State-owned land known as the
"Salt Reservation"
and the entrepreneurs could lease
land from the state to make their fortunes.
And due to canals, the salt barons
made good on the deal.
But Syracuse wasn't the only community along Onondaga Lake
to make its rise on these two factors.
Liverpool made its rise on these two factors as well.
But once again, the question that faced
the growing community
known as "Little Ireland"
before it became officially
Liverpool was:
Where do we as a community
bury and remember our dead?
Every community grappled with this question.
Originally the question was settled by burying the dead
in what is now Johnson Park.
This made sense in light of the
New England Town Square model.
But as the village grew,
it became abundantly clear the space would be outgrown quickly
and the land in the center of the village could serve a
different purpose.
So instead of plowing over everyone and
plowing under the few headstones,
they chose to honor the lives
represented here by moving them all instead of destroying them.
By 1846, farmland north of the village was purchased and became
Liverpool Village Cemetery.
Due to many Military Tract settlers and Veterans buried here
it is on the National Register of Historic Places.
By 1874,
the cemetery had been
a place of remembrance for nearly 30 years!
And due to it coming on the scene,
at the end of the burial ground/ New England Style burial,
and the cusp of the rural cemetery movement,
coupled with moving all the bodies from
what later became Johnson Park to here,
this cemetery is an eclectic mix of different
eras of burying practices.
Headstones are not in linear fashion.
There is a mix of family plots,
random burials,
headstones facing different ways
different materials,
and
different ways of remembering
that span over 200 years
One of the headstones likely moved
from the old cemetery to here
was the sad drowning of a young married couple
Harvey and Louisiana Hawley:
"Harvey and Louisiana Hawley (nee' Mathews), 28 and 18 respectively, had only been married a few months in January 1822 when they started on a long sleigh ride to Fulton county. They were traveling there for the wedding of Louisiana's brother, John. "But in one short hour the cold waters of the lake [Onondaga] had covered them". 1 month later, Mr. Gilchrist of Salt Point and a boy were coming from Cold Spring on the ice. When near the mouth of Onondaga Creek, the boy said, “What white heap is that on the ice?” Gilchrist said he would go and see. It was the horse-hide trunk. He knew it as it was made near his place. A man’s hat was on the ice near the trunk. The horse and cutter were under the ice and with them lying on the back of the horse and tangled in the lines was the body of Mrs. Hawley. She looked as natural as though sleeping. Mr. Hawley’s body was not recovered till between 9 and 10 p.m. His face was “kicked all in bumps” as though by the horse and was “black as a stone.” Mrs. Hawley had 5 or 6 lbs. of indigo with her which had colored the water or ice. She was taking it to her mother for coloring." - from The Old Days Being the Recollections and Reminiscences of Several Old Inhabitants of the Town of Salina
and that of Julia Morehouse
and that of Julia Morehouse
whose name as added to the family
"Memorial Stones"
style monument.
With water both in the canal and on the lake,
this would not be the community's only loss from drowning.
Young Charles Jaqueth drown in the canal as well.
But most made their fortunes along the lake and the canal
and later the railroads to bring goods to market.
James Wentworth was a canal boat captain
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13667792/james-l-wentworth
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13667792/james-l-wentworth
while he eventually sold his interest,
he lived well off his initial investments
And then there were those who made their
livelihood and fortunes from the salt
Joseph Jaqueth,
was not only a salt producer,
but also a local Superintendent of Salt
With the canal and later the railroad,
the little village along the canal began to prosper.
Attracting new residents
such as the Gleason Family.
Lucius Gleason eventually became
the president of Third National Bank in Syracuse.
After his death,
The house would become property of the village
after it was seized for back taxes.
(pic by Geoff Stephenson)
(pic by Geoff Stephenson)
It is now used by the village for various
start up businesses that rent the space until they fledge.
Very fitting for the home of a self-made business man!
The Lawyers...
John Hicks, Esq.
The manufacturers
Later sextons would care for its only
The Woerner Family who had a food canning plant...
...along the old plank road from Salina to Liverpool
There is the Civil War Veteran who had
a son, Herman Dietz
who was quite the inventor in his
short life
and the many willow basket makers
throughout the village
including
Why did willow basket making thrive in Liverpool as a cottage industry?
"..The willow used in baskets grew as a shrub in marshy areas (around the village).
Branches were harvested in the fall and sent to a willow steamer, where they were steamed to soften the bark, which allowed the bark to be stripped from the branch. Steaming and soaking made the willow flexible enough to be woven without breaking. Many Liverpool families had willow shops behind their homes where the entire family would gather to weave baskets and even furniture. Many of the willow laundry baskets sold in the United States came from Liverpool." ~Liverpool Library
http://www.villageofliverpool.org/history.htm
http://www.villageofliverpool.org/history.htm
And there were hotels built for travelers to stay
The sad tale of the Globe Hotel
proprietor,
Silas Duell
who died as a result of severe injuries
after train accident in Syracuse.
His son, John would also die in a tragic accident.
Although he was a boat captain and knew the water,
John would drown near Little Falls
There is even the grave of a former sexton who once tended
this cemetery, Edmund Toles, who was proud of his work
he put it on his headstone!
mausoleum,
Trim grass around a unique pillar headstone
rake leaves around a saxophone player
pick up branches around
sister of the wife of a mayor of Syracuse
And clean off the markers of a wife who died only to have...
the husband die a short time later of a broken heart.
He might admire the only
only "Zinkie",
The Aiken monument
and remove old wilted flowers from
a former Mayor of Liverpool
headstone.
and with many more
markers, there was always something to keep his day busy...
...once climbing up the path that horse drawn carriages
and mourners would follow
to say goodbye to their love ones.
But what does one do when
the family lines end and
there is no family to care for the graves?
And slowly, ever so slowly,
the cemetery begins to creep to the edge of
of being forgotten.
Vandalism, neglect and weather begin to take its toll
How does a community keep there cemetery from
from falling into disrepair?
It took a Village to make Liverpool,
now it takes that village to care for those who made it.
The team working together can make a difference.
Under the guidance of Mike Romano
and with the help of grants and volunteers,
the Village of Liverpool Cemetery
is being pulled back from the brink!
Headstones can be reset
safely!
Military graves can be marked and cared for!
New graves can be lovingly and beautifully tended
Volunteers,
including the new Village Mayor, Stacy Finney,
take time to clear the brush and overgrowth
to show the community's commitment to
keeping this place a beautiful place of
remembrance for years to come.
In honoring its past,
the residents of Liverpool set a precedence
of caring into the future.
It isn't something that will happen overnight.
But when we care,
we teach the next generation
what to care about.
Among the newer burials is the Burial of Steven Esposito
who died at 16 in a car accident.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42564711/steven-ernest-esposito
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42564711/steven-ernest-esposito
a young, promising life gone far too soon.
But on the back is etched a tree and a guiding star.
That reads:
"You were always a shining star, now you are a guiding light
to lead us to the gates of heaven"
And likewise, when we,
who are left behind,
take the the time to be that
"guiding light"
here on earth
and show by example
how to care for our past,
we can guide the next generation to
care for the past...
So get involved in your local cemetery!
Liverpool will have upcoming ones to get this
cemetery once again in ship-shape
(perhaps, canal boat 😎),
Weeds still need to be pulled!
Join them on their next
event...
bring the kids,
The Track Team,
The Football Team,
The Boy Scouts,
The Girl Scouts,
The 4H'ers
and more...
for more info:
Together,
We can make a beautiful difference in our community
and in the lives of our young people who will
take these reigns one day from us,
will continue to make this world a better place
long after we are gone...
...because they saw it in us!
