Oakwood Cemetery (Syracuse, New York)

Oakwood Cemetery
Oakwood Cemetery – 1909
A map of New York with a red dot near the central portion of the state.
A map of New York with a red dot near the central portion of the state.
Location940 Comstock Avenue
Syracuse, New York, United States
Coordinates43°01′53″N 76°08′08″W / 43.03139°N 76.13556°W / 43.03139; -76.13556
Area160 acres (65 ha)
Built1859
ArchitectHoward Daniels
Websitehttp://www.oakwoodofsyracuse.com/
NRHP reference No.91000522[1]
Added to NRHPMay 9, 1991

Oakwood Cemetery is a 160-acre (65 ha) historic cemetery located in Syracuse, New York. 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 was becoming a distinct landscape type, and is a good example of this kind of landscape architecture.[2]

Mortuary chapel, designed by J. L. Silsbee, Oakwood Cemetery (2016)[3]

The original 92 acres (37 ha) included about 60 acres (24 ha) 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, 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.[2]

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.[2] The Oakwood Cemetery project, run by Syracuse University libraries, digitizes and preserves valuable cemetery records.[4]

Notable interments

Notable interments at Oakwood Cemetery include:

A photo of a historic Mausoleum for the Gussman family, built in 1889, located in Oakwood Cemetery, Syracuse, New York.
Gussman Mausoleums built in 1889, photo by Charles Poag (2018)

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c "Shades of Oakwood". Shadesofoakdale.com, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  3. ^ Walts, Gary (8 September 2016). "Look inside Oakwood Cemetery's mortuary chapel in Syracuse". Syracuse.com. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  4. ^ Hippensteel, Chris (5 May 2021). "SU receives grants to digitize Oakwood Cemetery, Latinx community records". The Daily Orange. Retrieved 15 May 2021.