Woodlawn Cemetery
in Syracuse
The Trouble with Trees
Once farmland outside the City of Syracuse
owned by the Alvord Family and others on the 1852 map,
Woodlawn Cemetery would become the response to the question
as the city grew northward from the canal centerline:
Where do we bury the dead?
Rose Hill cemetery was on the decline,
First Ward Cemetery was old-fashioned,
St Joseph's was for Catholic communicants,
St Cecelia's never happened (and was reimagined as a Schiller Park),
&
Franklin Park Burial ground was railroaded over.
Oakwood was a gorgeous 160 acres, but that was south of the canal dividing line.
By 1881, the leaders north of the canal created a solution:
Woodlawn Cemetery!
At 105 acres, later expanding to 135,
Woodlawn was prefect for sculpting
in the style of the rural cemetery movement
and had room to grow,
unlike First Ward, Rose Hill,
and even St Joseph's.
And after landscaping,
it was ready for many of the "greats" of Syracuse to be buried
becoming the only real rival of Oakwood for
non-sectarian burials.
Woodlawn's History over the years:
"Woodlawn Cemetery was established in 1881 to provide a picturesque cemetery for the growing Syracuse community. Today, Woodlawn continues this tradition of serving the public by maintaining beautiful grounds that offer quiet comfort to visitors.
Founded as a traditional cemetery, Woodlawn has always focused on providing a welcoming place for celebrating the lives and memories of family and friends. A not-for-profit cemetery, Woodlawn has met the needs of a changing community over the years."
~Woodlawn website
Woodlawn continues to operate as an independent, non-profit cemetery cemetery.
Unlike many cemeteries that have banded together over the years to survive,
Woodlawn runs its own ship...er...cemetery.
Many notable burials here include:
George Pfohl, heir to his father who was a salt baron and brewer
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/105765066/george-pfohl
John Greenway whose brewery spanned nearly a block
along the canal west of Franklin St
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/122468024/john-greenway
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/122468024/john-greenway
There is the carriage and automotive genius,
who came from humble farming beginnings
tinkering in a shed...
.jpg)
tinkering in a shed...
...To taking nearly an entire city block as his carriage factory.
He also dabbled in cars and is noted for changing with the times
and making automobiles.
Harvey A Moyer
.jpg)
Like a Moyer family reunion
Harvey and his family are gathered close together even in death.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61055447/harvey-allen-moyer
More about his life and family:
General Sniper
The original headstones looked worn and were replaced with
But there is a trouble with trees:
They die.
This headstone area will be cleaned up and the stones reset
More about his life and family:
this is the first of an eleven part series worth watching!
There, under the shadow of the obelisk is
There, under the shadow of the obelisk is
his notable architect son-in-law,
Ward Wellington Ward
whose brilliant career was cut short by an attack by an employee.
And then there is the John and Mary Jaycox
whose name might not seem familiar at first,
Until you see their name written in the land
Jaycox St was renamed when the unified Division St in the early 1900s,
But John St and Mary St still remain on the northside.
There is a familiar General who has a park with statue named after him:
General Sniper
and his grave:
And General Sniper, along with others, had commissioned a Civil War Monument,
a "Zinkie" from the Monumental Bronze Company,
for Woodlawn to remember Civil War Veterans
of the William Lilly Post.
Overlooking his troops,
It lists names and battles of the Civil War Veterans:
And like Oakwood, he no longer has his gun.
He has laid down his arms.
Ready for peace
This area has not always looked like this.
The original headstones looked worn and were replaced with
flat military headstones in 70s.
The old markers went into storage.
Girl Scout, Sydney Woods, learned that the original markers were
still in storage. For her Girl Scout Gold Award Project,
Sydney went to where the original headstones were
stored, matched them up with their original graves,
had them cleaned and reset.
And what an amazing job she did!
Well done Sydney Woods,
Troop 10130 who worked
on this in the past as a community project,
and Troop 10127 that maintains it today!
The troops are smiling at your service!
And as you walk around Woodlawn,
And as you walk around Woodlawn,
the beauty of the trees planted here bring
a sense of serenity to the place.
Some of these trees are the original ones
planted when the old farm was
planted when the old farm was
developed into a cemetery.
Here is a video of one tree, like the the soldiers remembered in the monument here Woodlawn,
saw the Battle of Gettysburg
These men would be amazed to find a familiar tree
if they could return to Gettysburg today!
The trees here at Woodlawn
are gorgeous!
Trees give us a sense of constancy and permanency
Something older than ourselves and something that will outlive us.
They have been thoughtful planted and
lovingly maintained over the years.
But there is a trouble with trees:
They do have age and a life span
just like us!
They break!
They fall!
(This one is in Manlius Village Cemetery
blocking the road)
They die.
And they cause damage.
Gravity always wins.
And the cemetery is left to pick up the pieces---Literally of wood, stone and street.
The most famous widespread damage
in recent history was
at Oakwood Cemetery,
where they are still trying to fix the damage caused
by the Labor Day Storm 25 years ago in 1998.
Here is a video of footage of damage from that day:
Note the trees across the street and monuments.
Cleaning up the trees is the "easy part".
Resetting and fixing the monuments is the "hard part".
Most cemeteries have limited resources.
HOCPA works to restore Oakwood
(and even replant trees that were lost 25 years ago)
https://hocpa.org/initiatives/reintroduction-of-rare-trees/?fbclid=IwAR35AXOFQ66Ol2Sc1MHv9_cILqRoDa3HXSOSA2sKrW4RkAwSYsIHXnMdVcc
(and even replant trees that were lost 25 years ago)
https://hocpa.org/initiatives/reintroduction-of-rare-trees/?fbclid=IwAR35AXOFQ66Ol2Sc1MHv9_cILqRoDa3HXSOSA2sKrW4RkAwSYsIHXnMdVcc
(Donate if you can!)
But here at Woodlawn,
they do all the resetting and fixing in-house
to save cost and to keep the cemetery
looking beautiful for the families and the community.
as part of this cemetery's on-going commitment to the families
and to honor those buried here.
The only reason this fallen limb was captured in-situ is that
a storm the week before brought it down.
If there are no internments scheduled in the area,
it will be cleaned up and the stones reset.
Woodlawn actively strives to maintain
everything from trees to roads to monuments,
and it shows!
They can do this as they are still privately owned.
And maintenance is always cheaper than catch-up!
Here is some awesome footage
of Woodlawn Cemetery...
...note all of the trees!
Note how lovely the trees look...
Note how lovely the trees look...
...even in bleak times.
And that is the comfort that trees give cemeteries,
that even our bleak times,
they either provide the pop of color our souls need
or they provide the hope
that winter's coming end is told in the bud,
that the bleak times are not the end.
only an interlude to Spring,
only an interlude to Spring,
and there is hope,
even in death,
that trees can remind us of 💗
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