All Blog Posts in "Cemetery Restoration"
THE STAR CROSSED POTTER’S FIELD:THE HOWARD CEMETERY
September 15, 2017
THE STAR CROSSED POTTER’S FIELD THE HOWARD CEMETERY by David Mack-Hardiman Like a lonely European castle dropped into a busy urban neighborhood, the former Buffalo State Asylum is striking, majestic and mysterious. Architect Henry Hobson Richardson designed the massive structure in Victorian Gothic style with dramatic arches and curved connecting corridors. The center of the complex, constructed of mauve Medina sandstone, is framed by looming twin towers. To the north was a farm which p…
The Old Poor House on Poor House Hill
July 20, 2017
Abandoned History A Visit To The Old Poor House Cemetery By James Boles,Ed.D. J.Boles 2017 “Here lie the residents of the Niagara County Almshouse who were laid to rest between 1929 and 1916” - an inscription on the poorhouse cemetery bench. Donated by Orleans Monument Company, Lockport NY. J.Boles 2017 The only marked stone in the cemetery. Reconstructed and donated by Orleans Monument Company. The poor house cemetery, which was not kept up for a number of years, is now nicely maintained …
The Craig Colony
May 29, 2013
By David Mack-Hardiman, Contributor and Douglas Platt, Contributor Nicholas DiGesare, Cemetery Photography The Craig Colony for Epileptics was established in 1894 to meet the needs of New York’s indigent population who had epilepsy. The first patients were admitted in 1896. Craig Colony was constructed on over 1,900 acres using the “cottage plan,” a cluster of smaller buildings rather than one large structure. This institution also began to admit people with intellectual disabilities in 1935. E…
Haunted Misperceptions
April 26, 2013
By David Mack-Hardiman, Contributor
While the computer age has revolutionized the world and forever changed the way that information is received, it has also given almost unlimited ability for people to stretch the truth, distort reality, and give imaginary thoughts a non-fictional spin. Hidden behind pseudonyms and user names, people are given an unchecked license to lie.
A few years ago, I was trying to find more information about the Wheater Road Cemetery in Collins, NY, whic…
Grave Puzzles
August 21, 2012
By Dr. James M. Boles, Contributor The sheriff waved to me as I made a sharp right turn into the field, the right of way was overgrown and hard to follow. The car rolled past the old silo and the stone barn foundation which was covered with vines and scrub brush. In this jungle, Dave and his crew from People Inc. did a great job cleaning up the old Niagara County Poorhouse cemetery (1829-1915) which opens up into a small clearing. The accounts list up to 1400 people buried here but I was here t…
The Niagara County Almshouse Cemetery
June 22, 2012
By David Mack-Hardiman, Contributor Surrounded by a thorny thicket of nearly impenetrable foliage, the Niagara County Almshouse Cemetery sits on a remote hill in Lockport, NY. Here lie the remains of approximately 1,400 people who lived and died at the almshouse from 1830 until 1916. As one walks up the path to approach the cemetery, songbirds chatter in the treetops. Densely overgrown bristly shrubs sit to the left of the path while an open grassy field is on the right. The taller treed area o…
Restoration of Institutional Cemeteries
November 29, 2011
By David Mack-Hardiman, Contributor For the past five years, employees and individuals associated with People Inc. have been engaged in the restoration of three cemeteries in the Southern Tier. More than 2,000 graves were discovered for residents of the J. N. Adam Developmental Center, The West Seneca Developmental Center and, The Gowanda Psychiatric Center. Volunteers toiled away in the summer sun, recording each grave, gently cleaning the stones, edging around the markers and, uncovering thos…