Mission Statement

Our mission is to preserve, maintain, and enhance Vale Cemetery, founded in 1857, as a prime example of the 19th Century Rural Cemetery Movement. Originally 100 acres in size, it is now approximately 60 acres and there are about 33,000 gravesites.

Approximately 40 acres were purchased by the City of Schenectady in the 1980s to form Vale Park to the north and west of the present cemetery. The history of this area is literally interred here: Early Dutch settlers; veterans from every war from the Revolution to the currents Middle East wars. Interred here as well are the founders and leaders of Schenectady’s development from a trading post to a center of commerce and industry; artists, poets, writers and distinguished scholars many from Union College; civic leaders; politicians; the “colored,” the poor and probably a few scoundrels.

It has been and continues to be non-denominational and welcomes all who would be buried in its peaceful grounds either in a full burial or as cremated remains.

We maintain excellent burial records that are invaluable to historians and genealogy researchers, but they should be preserved in a more durable format and eventually made available through a web site.