Vale Cemetery and Vale Park
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Vale Cemetery and Vale Park
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Vale Cemetery, October 2003
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| Location | 907 State St., Nott Terrace, Schenectady, New York |
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| Coordinates | 42°48′26″N 73°55′45″W / 42.80722°N 73.92917°WCoordinates: 42°48′26″N 73°55′45″W / 42.80722°N 73.92917°W |
| Area | 100 acres (40 ha) |
| Built | 1857 |
| Architect | Thomas, Burton A.; Doyle, John |
| NRHP Reference # | |
| Added to NRHP | September 24, 2004 |
Vale Cemetery is the largest cemetery in Schenectady, New York. It opened on 21 October 1857 when the Rev. Julius Seely dedicated what was then termed "the Vale". It has tripled its size since opening and today it holds the remains of some of the most notable persons in Upstate New York. In 1973, a 35-acre tract of unused and abandoned cemetery land around the ponds of Coehorn Creek was sold to the city of Schenectady to form Vale Park.
The cemetery and park were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
By 1850 the old public burying ground on Green and Front streets was being overrun with weeds and was described as being unsanitary. The Common Council resolved on 2 July 1856 to develop the grounds of the old Hospital Farm on Nott Terrace as a 38-acre (150,000 m2) public cemetery. On 16 June 1857, Mayor Benjamin V. S. Vedder appointed a committee to oversee the work.
To provide access from a main street, Dr Eliphalet Nott, the President of Union College donated an avenue from Nott Terrace into the grounds. Later in 1863, two pieces of land were purchased from the college, creating what is now known as Vale Park. The entrance on State Street was a donation from the First Reformed Church in 1867. The cemetery was planned by Burton Thomas as a rural cemetery. It featured many winding paths and he had more than 1,000 trees planted; Cowhorn Creek was dammed to create a lake within the grounds. The cemetery has since expanded and covers approximately 100 acres (0.40 km2) and holds some 33,000 burials. The cemetery includes the historic African-American Burying Ground. Since 2001, city residents have held annual commemorations of Juneteenth, celebrating emancipation and the end of the American Civil War; particularly since 2006, some have been held at the Burying Ground.
In February 1858, the Common Council declared that it could not continue to run the cemetery at the taxpayers' expense and that the cemetery must be taken up by private owners. Fourteen of the lot holders formed the Vale Cemetery Association and bought the 38 acres (150,000 m2) from the Common Council. They paid the sum of $800, and announced that some land, known as the Potters' Field, would be set aside for the burial of the poor. In 2007 as part of the Schenectady Colonial celebrations, the Association held a dinner to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the cemetery.
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