April 2, 1841

Resolved, That a committee be appointed whose special duty it shall be to ascertain whether a suitable place for a cemetery can be obtained in the vicinity of Albany, and upon what terms, what probable expense would be incurred in fitting it for that purpose; to suggest some plan or principle of organization which in their judgment, will be the best calculated to carry fully into effect the measures that may be adopted, and that said committee make their report to a meeting to convene on this subject at some future time. 

The sign outside the Broadway (Route 32) entrance to the Cemetery.  The Cemetery wasn't dedicated until 1844, but the Albany Cemetery Association was formally established on this date and began the task of acquiring a  location for the new cemetery.

The Samuel Richards Headstone

The marble headstone of one Samuel Richards of Canandaigua, Ontario County, New York. Richards, a clerk in a mercantile company in Canandaigua, died in Albany on August 2, 1804. He was only twenty-eight and remembered as "a talented young man."

Richards was first buried in the Presbyterian section of the municipal burial ground near Eagle Street and State Street (just south of the modern East Capitol Park). It's likely that his grave was moved further uptown to the State Street Burying Ground when that replaced the old downtown graveyards and, finally, his remains and headstone were moved to the Rural Cemetery in 1868.

Richards' white marble stone is beautifully carved with two urns, a symbol of mortality that replaced the winged skulls and cherubic soul effigies popular on headstones in previous generations.

The covered upper urn is framed by an elegant arch. A stylized flower and delicately carved vines which spread out over the monument rise from the lower urn. The surface of the stone is also carved with a cross-hatched pattern giving it an almost woven texture. It's difficult to tell if this stone was signed by its carver as the lower portion is embedded in the earth, but it's one of the finest markers in the Church Grounds and shows a great deal of skill and care.

The Rural Cemetery

I have so many photos of the Albany Rural Cemetery that they are nearly taking over my laptop and, if I posted even half of them, they'd certainly take over my two existing blogs, Albany NY Photo Daily and Albany History. So, the obvious thing to do is to create another blog just for them.

Located just north of the City of Albany in Menands, the Rural Cemetery covers nearly 500 acres and it includes the graves of a President, a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, over fifty of Albany's mayors, artists, solders, and scores of other historic and cultural figures. Given how much I love local history, it's no surprise that I'm very fond of this place. It's also wonderfully scenic with rolling meadows and curving paths cut by deep ravines (with hidden waterfalls, too).

The above photo shows one of the main drives along the section called the South Ridge.

I should mention now that I'm also working on a book about the Cemetery and I'll update its progress towards completion (and, hopefully, publication) here, too.

In the meantime, please take a look at some of my previous posts about the Cemetery:

The Angel At The Sepulchre
Elsie's Grave
Wacheka Albanya
A Little Iron Angel
Eroded Grace
From My Personal Archive
Looking Inside
Broken Fences
Detailed Door Knob
Eternal Sleep
President Arthur's Grave
Happy Halloween
Sinister Grafitti
Contrasting Monuments
Stained Glass Angel
The Lathrop Angel
Fallen Tree