Riverview Cemetery
The Steadfast Zinc Soldier
In the Village of Baldwinsville sits a cemetery with two names
with a history that winds its way through
local history just like the Seneca River through
the land itself.
(note that Division St went
all the way to the river and
that there were houses where the cemetery is now.)
By 1860, the areas military tract settlers along the river,
names like Jonas Baldwin and John McHarrie...
...had been reposing here for years.
(A side note: Spelling was not as important as penmanship
in John McHarie's day.
He even signed his name "McHarry" at times.
These variations always makes tracing your family tree more adventurous.)
"John McHar(r)ie, an early settler along the Seneca River was buried on his property in 1807. His wife Lydia was buried next to him 11 years later, in 1818. Others followed. In 1827 Dr. Jonas C. Baldwin (for whom this village was eventually named) and his wife Eliza were buried here as well. That was the beginning of what's now described as the Old Yard. For many years the burying ground was maintained by the community. It was not until 1846 that burial records were kept. During the 19th century, two private cemeteries were established right adjacent to each other. One of which (Riverside) actually encircled the OLD YARD. Eventually the three cemeteries merged and the Riverview Cemetery Association, Inc. was formed. Over 12,000 interments have taken place since John McHarrie's passing."~~~Find A Grave
Here is a map of the Cemetery in 1874
Here you can see the outline of the old yard where
McHarrie and his family was buried on his land,
and later his friend Jonas Baldwin and his family and other residents
of Baldwinsville.
This cemetery became Riverside Cemetery.
(from Facebook)
Later the land to the west of Division St
was purchased and became a separate cemetery,
Riverview Cemetery.
Eventually the three "separate" cemeteries were unified
under the Riverview name...
...but Google hasn't gotten the memo 😆
This cemetery has a few lovely fenced family plots...
...that have been well preserved!
Our weather, no matter how much care it receives,
is unkind to wrought iron.
The other thing to note here is the very, VERY real
possibility of grave collapse.
Some of these graves are over 200 years old.
The wooden coffins slowly decompose and fall apart
under the ground leaving a void,
unbeknownst to the visitor walking above.
I found one with my foot,
even while being careful,
in the Old Yard!
This one went halfway up my shin.
Luckily, I did not break or twist anything!
Here is another example of grave collapse
And a more obvious one
...perfectly coffin shaped 😮
So be careful when visiting old cemeteries!
But why visit an old cemetery?
To learn about the people who created our present!
Here is Baldwinsville resident and two time Mayor of Syracuse,
Jacob Amos!
Or find heroes of the past
...who were also members of the Odd Fellows!
Or where the members of the Odd Fellows in Baldwinsville
chose to be interred with their fellow fraternity members
all around the monument.
A loyalty to the end.
Or find the daughter
of the Military Tract settler for who the street is named;
Electa Tappan Hart
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/53660770/electa-hart
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/53660770/electa-hart
or notice that since the Find A Grave pic...
...the last of the names on this old marker were filled in.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/53660704/fanny-a-harrington
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/53660704/fanny-a-harrington
But one treasure you will find in old cemeteries are these bluish-gray monuments
that stand out from all the rest around them.
The crispness of the details,
(Note the lamb and the fading rose for "Our Darling Garrie"
from Delphi Falls Cemetery.)
yet being so old,
makes them stand out.
They are not made of stone as they appear.
(Valley Cemetery)
They are made of what was marketed as "White Bronze".
Not made of bronze at all,
They are made of Zinc!
(LaFayette Cemetery)
If you tap on them, they sound hollow!
They were made by the Monumental Bronze Company of Bridgeport, CT
More about these monuments:
https://agraveinterest.blogspot.com/2012/06/white-bronze-monument-of-quality.html?fbclid=IwAR0XGUW8jUX470RRUxTrzc7XskGxJzPA5b16FIuxMyCz-LJ-7yebruHIiMo
https://agraveinterest.blogspot.com/2012/06/white-bronze-monument-of-quality.html?fbclid=IwAR0XGUW8jUX470RRUxTrzc7XskGxJzPA5b16FIuxMyCz-LJ-7yebruHIiMo
(Oakwood)
So what made these "Zinkies" so popular?
They were less expensive than stone,
they could be easily customized,
and they were sold as being enduring.
A very short video:
a local example
Another video about one in Rochester:
This is one that was customized in
St Patrick's Cemetery in Jordan
A longer video with many examples:
People could look through their catalogue
with a salesman and choose something
special for themselves or their loved ones
If you wanted something small...
...to something tall...
...they had a monument for you!
Popularized after the Civil War,
Production ceasing during WW1
and Going out of business just before WW2
these monuments have deep ties to
wars.
But their last legacy across the country
was helping people find peace in a war
that divided our nation:
Their Civil War Soldier Monuments!
a close up of the one in Baldwinsville
They made Union and Confederate Soldiers for towns and villages
to remember those who fought in the Civil War.
There is one in Woodlawn Cemetery
(from the Post-Standard)
Although over the years he's lost his rifle,
as has the one at Oakwood.
After all these years, I guess they decided to lay down their arms
But not only could large cities afford these,
But so could small towns like Warsaw, NY!
Who still has theirs in the middle of town!
(And he still has his rifle!)
This monument is the focal piece of Baldwinsville's Veteran Memorials.
This is a fitting place for this soldier as Baldwinsville
is one of the few places where Memorial Day,
which was widely celebrated after the Civil War,
is still observed on the actual Memorial Day,
May 30th,
not on the day specified by the Uniform Holidays Act.
And overlooking the monument is the Root Family
who literally has their roots in service to our country
who literally has their roots in service to our country
Several family members have served.
And on the back of Curtis' headstone is a message
from Ronald Root,
a "Kindness Claus",
that if lived out
could have prevented the Civil War in the past
and
would make the world a better place today
and in the future:
"Love Thy Neighbor as Yourself"
And in the end,
the very end,
you and your neighbors will find
"Common Ground" in
the cemetery...
So why not find it
now in life?
