Forest Lawn Cemetery
Posted by: Rayman
N 42° 55.361 W 078° 52.011
17T E 674090 N 4754435
Forest Lawn is a large beautiful cemetery and is the final resting place of many famous people.
Waymark Code: WMTBD
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 10/05/2006
Views: 38
Forest Lawn is located on land acquired from the Seneca Nation of Indians circa 1797 by William Johnston, a retired British Army captain. In 1806 title passed to Erastus Granger, agent to the Six Indian Nations, and it was on this land that Granger met with the Great Council of Nations and persuaded the Council to refuse an alliance with the British in the war of 1812. 30 years later, the people of Buffalo felt a need for a large park-like burial ground. As a result, local entrepreneur Charles E. Clarke purchased approximately 80 acres of the Granger estate at $150 per acre and begun the following spring to grade and survey the land as a park/cemetery.
The first burial was made in the afternoon of July 12, 1850, for John Lay, Jr., an old and greatly esteemed member of the community. The purchase of lots of other early Buffalonians soon followed. In 1855 Clarke conveyed the unsold cemetery grounds to a group of lot owners known as Forest Lawn Cemetery Association. The Association acquired more land from the surrounding farms and incorporated in 1864 under the name of the Buffalo city cemetery known commonly as Forest Lawn. By 1866 the cemetery had been improved and enlarged to 203 acres, and was dedicated September 28.
The most prominent person laid to rest within Forest Lawn is Millard Fillmore, the 13th president of the United States. His burial is marked by a hillside monument surrounded by a black fence. Other famous people in the cemetery are R&B singer Rick James, Seneca Indian Chief Red Jacket, Willis Carrier who invented air conditioning, and Alfred Southwich who was a dentist in Buffalo that invented the electric chair. A recently constructed mausoluem designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is also located within the cemetery.
Many many locally prominent people are laid to rest here as well. They include:
- Seymour H. Knox, co-founder of the Woolworth Company and grandfather of Northrop and Seymour H. Knox III, former co-owners of the Buffalo Sabres,
- Edward L. Kleinhans, co-founder of Kleinhans men's clothing store and husband of Mary Seaton Kleinhans, from which Kleinhan's Music Hall was named after,
- John D. Larkin, founder of the Larkin Soap Company and who brought Frank Lloyd Wright to Buffalo to design an office building for his company.
- John J. Albright, owner of Lackawanna Steel Co., and was instrumental in the distribution of hydroelectric power through the state. Also founded the Albright Art Gallery, later known as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery,
- Jacob F. Schoellkopf, known as the "king of electricity, was the first to use Niagara Falls to generate power,
- Mary B. Talbert, a civil rights activist who lived most of her life in Buffalo.
Street address: 1411 Delaware Ave Buffalo, NY United States 14209
County / Borough / Parish: Erie
Year listed: 1990
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1850-1874, 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925-1949
Historic function: Cemetery
Current function: Cemetery
Privately owned?: yes
Hours of operation: From: 8:00 AM To: 7:00 PM
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.