This beautiful mausoleum was erected in 1917 and holds the caskets of George Clement Hawley and his wife Theodora M. "Dora" Amsdell Hawley. The mausoleum is castle-like in appearance and is constructed of large gray granite blocks. There is an arch over the rectangular doorway. The name G.C. Hawley is located above the doorway in the structure's gable with the year 1917 above it. Simply spectacular.
ABOUT GEORGE HAWLEY:
"George Hawley was a beer baron whose family owned the Dobler Brewery in Albany. He married into the Amsdell family which held its own Albany brewery. There is a huge monument to General Philip Schuyler outside of city hall which was presented to the city committee of which Wm S. Hackett, the Mayor was a member. The monument bears a plaque stating "presented by George C. Hawley, in memory of his loving wife Theodora M Amsdell" MCMXXV. There is a huge mausoleum in Albany Rural Cemetery erected in 1917 which holds the caskets of George and Theodora. Hawley donated the land occupied by the old glass school which was Vincentian Grade school to a hospital who in turn sold it to the parish."
-- Source NOTE: The mausoleum photo shown on this website is incorrect (it's dated from 1850, before either of the Hawleys' births)
ABOUT THEODORA HAWLEY:
"Mrs. Hawley was descended, on both her paternal and maternal sides, from families who have been identified with Albany for many years. Her father was Theodore M. Amsdell, a prosperous Albany merchant, of the generation that has just passed. Her marriage, March 23, 1892, to George Clement Hawley, was an occasion of note. There were no children of the marriage, a circumstance, perhaps, which had its influence in intensifying the close communion in which she and her husband lived."
-- Source NOTE: The mausoleum photo shown on this website is incorrect (it's dated from 1850, before either of the Hawleys' births)
The correct Find-A-Grave photos for the Hawley's mausoleum is at this link, but the detailed text is missing.
ABOUT THE CEMETERY:
The historic Albany Rural Cemetery is located in the village of Menands in the town of Colonie, New York, just outside the city of Albany. The cemetery was established in 1844 and is considered to be one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the United States. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
An historical marker at the South Entrance to the cemetery provides the following information:
Historic Albany Rural
Cemetery Est. 1841.
Burial site of Pres. Arthur,
governors, statesmen
and private citizens
Noted for it's natural beauty
sculptures and architecture
Cemetery Association & Hist. Soc.
Town of Colonie
1982
"Incorporated in 1841 and dedicated in 1844, Albany Rural Cemetery is a blend of generations of citizens originally interred in early burying grounds and a modern active burying ground.
History
A President of the United States is joined by 5 Governors, 3 members of the Continental Congress, 2 members of the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention, 13 members of the Colonial Assembly, 8 Presidential Cabinet members, 5 Ambassadors and many Senators, Congressmen, and Judges."
-- Source