Crossing Oakwood Cemetery Off of My Bucket List

Elsewhere, a cemetery would be an interesting place to have on a bucket list. In Troy, it’s stranger that I’d never been there before.

Oakwood Cemetery in Troy is famous here in the Capital Region, mostly because it’s where “Uncle Sam” is buried. It also has a ton of other historical notes besides that.

Oakwood Cemetery was established in 1848, according to their Wikipedia page, “in response to the growing rural cemetery movement.” It was open for use in 1850 and was the fourth rural cemetery that opened in New York. There are four man-made lakes, a chapel, a crematorium, 24 mausolea, and about 60,000 graves. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Oakwood Cemetery has always been seen as a public park, even since the beginning. You’ll notice that many graves are in the shape of or closely near benches, assuming people would sit and rest during their walk, run, etc. On the property is also the Gardner Earl Memorial Chapel and Crematorium (which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003), the Warren Family Mortuary Chapel, and the Vanderheyden Bell.

Some notable people buried at Oakwood Cemetery, Troy (for a full list visit here):

• Russell Sage (unmarked mausoleum): U.S. Representative
• Billy “Flash” Harrell: a MLB player
• Emma Hart Willard: founded the first College for women
• Stephen F. King: a MLB player
• Samuel “Uncle Sam” Wilson: an American Folk Figure
• Captain Van Schaick: an American Folk Figure
• George Tibbits: U.S Congressman/Troy mayor

If you know someone buried at Oakwood Cemetery and wish to find them, use the website Find a Grave to give you the section.