Here are some highlights of the walking cemetery tours you can find throughout New York State in September.
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (Westchester) will offer a “Washington Irving Walking Tour” on Saturdays and Sundays in September at 11 am and 1 p.m. Meet the father of the American short story on this one-hour tour. Learn all about Washington Irving, his impact on American Literature and the enduring appeal of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
The cost is $15. To register, go to: https://www.showclix.com/event/the-original-knickerbocker-tour-2023
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery will also offer a Lantern Tour every Friday and Saturday night in September. Step back in time and explore the cemetery by kerosene lantern light. You’ll visit titans of industry like Andrew Carnegie and William Rockefeller, meet Washington Irving whose famous short story gave Sleepy Hollow its name, and learn about two people vital to the success of Wells Fargo and American Express, and much more.
The cost is $45. To register, go to: https://www.showclix.com/event/classic-evening-lantern-tour-2023
There will be tours of Concordia Cemetery in Buffalo on Saturdays, Sept 2, 16 and 23 at 10 a.m. Concordia Cemetery was founded in 1859 and is one of the oldest cemeteries in Western New York. This walking tour will share the history of the cemetery and the stories of some of the incredible individuals and families buried there.
The cost is $18 general admission and $8 children and students. To register, go to: https://explorebuffalo.org/specialty/concordia-cemetery/
Tours will be offered of the North Section of the Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester on Sundays, Sept. 3, 10, 17 and 24 at 1 p.m. This tour is a 90 minute walk of approximately a mile on both paved roads and uneven terrain. This includes the graves of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, topics of local history, horticulture, geology, architecture, monument symbolism, and more.
Cost is $15. To make a reservation, go to: https://fomh.org/tours-events/tours/
The Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn will offer “Green-Wood’s Greatest Hits” walking tour on Sundays, Sept. 3 and 17 at 1 p.m. Explore Green-Wood’s historic landscape and visit its most fascinating permanent residents. On this walking tour, you will tread where George Washington and his troops fought in the Battle of Brooklyn; learn of the massive fire that struck the Brooklyn Theatre in 1876; pay your respects to the maestro, Leonard Bernstein; and discover much more.
The cost of $25. To register, go to: https://www.green-wood.com/event/green-woods-greatest-hits-7/2023-09-03/
Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo will host a walking tour on Sundays, Sept. 10 and Sept. 24 at 2 p.m. Learn about the cemetery’s history, art and architecture, trees, waterbodies, and wildlife, and, most importantly, some of the permanent residents. You will even meet a few of them along the way. The cost is $20.
To register for Sept. 10, go to: https://forest-lawn.com/event/sunday-in-the-cemetery-walking-tour-10/#tribe-tickets__tickets-form
To register for Sept. 24, go to: https://forest-lawn.com/event/sunday-in-the-cemetery-walking-tour-12/#tribe-tickets__tickets-form
Cold Springs “Cemetery Tales” will be told by the Niagara County Historical Society’s Step Back In Time Players on Saturday, Sept. 16. This two-hour walking tour of Cold Springs Cemetery highlights early Lockportians who are interred there, including physician Dr. Skinner, quarryman James Schuler, early settler Aunt Edna and Underground Railroad participant Laura Bacon Moss.
The tour will be conducted rain or shine, beginning at 1 p.m. in the cemetery parking lot. Tickets are $10 per person; get them in advance at the Niagara History Center, 215 Niagara St., or at the gate. Advance reservations are requested; call 716-434-7433.
Parma Hilton Historical Society (Monroe) will host a tour of the Sage-Knapp Pioneer Cemetery Tour on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 10:30 a.m. Learn about the history of the cemetery and highlight some of the residents within. This cemetery is the burial ground for the Sage family along with other early residents of that locale including Revolutionary War veteran James Billings III. The tour is presented in partnership with the Parma Public Library.
To register, go to: https://www.parmahiltonhistoricalsociety.com/events/
The Westfield Cemetery Association will present a Tour Through History on Friday, Sept. 22 and Saturday, Sept. 23. Local actors will bring residents of Westfield back to life. Walking tours will be at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Cost is $15 for adults and $5 for children. Tickets are available through the Patterson Library. For more information, call 716-326-2154.
The Christ Church of Manhasset (Nassau County) will present a historic cemetery tour on Saturday, Sept 23 from 12:30-4 p.m. Guided one hour tours start every 20 minutes.
Re-enactors in costume will speak at the graves of Revolutionary War patriot, a Civil War soldier, a Mineola farmer’s wife, a dentist of 1880, a victim of the Seawanhaka disaster and three more. Rain date Sept. 30. Tickets are $20 at the gate – seniors/First Responders, $15 and children 5-12, $5. For more information, contact HistoricCemeteryTour@gmail.com
Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum will offer a tour of St. John’s Memorial Cemetery on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 1 and 3 p.m. Get acquainted with some of St. John’s Cemetery’s permanent residents and discover the fascinating burial customs of the Victorian era, such as the intriguing practice of post-mortem photography. Meet at the cemetery. Cost is $15 per person or $10 per person for members. To register, g0 to: https://www.cshwhalingmuseum.org/walking-tours1.html
Green-Wood Cemetery will also offer a Moonlight Tour on Tuesday, Sept 26 at 7:30 p.m. Explore Green-Wood’s intriguing monuments and unforgettable Catacombs under the full moon. Historian Jeff Richman leads this popular walking tour, which begin at sunset and is accompanied by the atmospheric sounds of live accordion music.
To register, go to: https://www.green-wood.com/event/moonlight-tour-6/2023-09-26/
Friends of Oakwood Cemetery (Rensselaer) will offer a Harvest Full Moon Twilight Tour on Friday, Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. Listen to some remarkable stories as you visit the lovely monuments of Oakwood’s interesting residents. The grave of Uncle Sam and the panoramic overlook at sunset are some of the tour highlights. Bring a flashlight.
To register, go to: https://www.oakwoodcemetery.org/events-list/harvest-full-moon-twilight-tour
Check out our link to cemetery indexes and transcriptions at: https://www.newyorkgenlinks.com/localcemeteries/
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