New at Vale
January 20, 2012
2012 Calendar of Tours & Events
Vale Cemetery continues its popular and ever-growing schedule of events and activities. Additional details will be announced as the dates approach.
- May 28 – Memorial Day ceremonies honoring veterans from all the wars. The event features guest speakers, a flag ceremony, and concludes with Taps.
- June 4 – Nature Walk ~ Be surprised and delighted by Vale’s flora and fauna!
- June 13 – Pleasant Valley School tour.
- June 15 – Juneteenth ~ Annual commemoration of the Emancipation Proclamation.
- July 1 – Schenectady: Dutch Settlers to Modern Times ~ An overview of Dutch historical influences in our area.
- Aug. 5 – Notable Women ~ A perennial favorite, “meet” the extraordinary women from our region who helped shape its history.
- Sept. 2 – Giants of Industry ~ Thomas Edison wasn’t the only heavy hitter! Learn about other titans of industry who got their start in the Schenectady area.
- Oct. 7 – The Rural Cemetery Movement and gravestone art symbolism.
Special tours are available by arrangement.
This year, in addition to public tours, the Folklore Society and State Genealogy Society toured Vale. If you know of a group (senior citizens, church, school, etc.) that would enjoy a tour, contact Vale’s office at 346-0423 for information and scheduling.
All tours are on Sundays and begin at 2:00PM. Participants are asked to meet at the Caretaker’s Cottage located at 907 State St. and bring comfortable walking shoes.
All tours cost $6.00 - under 12 y.o. free.
November 22, 2011
American Cemetery Excellence Award
Vale was recently a 2nd Runner-Up for the prestigious American Cemetery Excellence award. The full article can viewed or downloaded.
From the article:
Few cemeteries have the unique relationship that vale enjoys with it's community and people. Located in downtown Schenectady, N.Y., Vale is an integral part of the neighborhood. Every day, bicyclists, joggers, parents pushing baby strollers and students going to and from school can be seen making their way through Vale... [read the rest].
November 22, 2011
SCHS Key Club Helps Vale
We've added a few photos of the Schenectady High School Key Club helping Vale with a bit fall cleanup.
July 22, 2011
Memorial Day Observance Photos
We have added a few photos from the 2011 Memorial Day observance at Vale.
June 23, 2011
New Website
We are pleased to announce the launch of our new site.
Aside from the obvious cosmetic changes, this site incorporates our cemetery records allowing viewers to search and browse our collection of 33,000 burial records. In time, hopefully soon, we will be adding newsletter subscriptions and tighter integration with social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Please feel free to contact us with any comments, criticisms or suggestions.
May 26, 2011
2011 Tour and Special Event Schedule
All tours are on Sundays and begin at 2:00PM. Participants are asked to meet at the Caretaker's Cottage (907 State St.) and bring comfortable walking shoes.
All tours cost $6.00 - under 12 y.o. free.
Tours
May 1 - A Nature Walk in a 100-Acre Urban Green Space
Naturalist Amy Reilly Veino will discuss trees, wildlife and eco-systems found throughout Vale Park.
June 5 - Civil War Sesquicentennial
History teacher Frank Taormino, assisted by the Sons of Union Army
Veterans and the 125th New York Volunteers, will relate Schenectady’s part in the Civil War.
July 3 - Vale Overview – Dutch Settlers to Modern Times
City and county historian, Don Rittner, the foremost authority on Capital Region history, will offer highlights from 1620 to the present by focusing on Vale sites.
August 7 - The Rural Cemetery Movement as Parks for the People
Scott Haefner, Old Fort Johnson Site Manager, tells of the founding of the great rural cemeteries and the movement's impact on society.
September 4 - Notable Women at Vale
Sue McLane, the Victorian Lady, presents a new tour featuring the first Woman physician, aviator, Sir William’s son’s mistress, the Hawaiian queen's niece, and other fascinating women.
October 2nd - Lifting the Veil at Vale
Paul Tracy, a gifted story teller, will enthrall tour attendees with tales of colorful characters, sports figures, politicians, and rascals who are at rest in Vale.
Special Events
May 14th - Monument Restoration & Repair Workshop
Joe Ferannini of Grave Stone Matter and Bob Posson, authorities on grave stone cleaning and repair, will lead a hands-on workshop for beginners or those with some experience
10:30 a.m. – May 30th - Memorial Day (Honoring Veterans)
A patriotic ceremony where civic leaders, veterans, and community groups will gather to salute the flag and honor those who served and are at rest in Vale. Oratory, music, and military drill will add to the commemoration. All events will be in the Veterans Plot near State Street entrance.
June 17th - Juneteenth – Friday evening
At the African American Ancestral Burial Ground there will be a celebration of the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves. Walter Simpkins will portray Moses Viney, runaway slave who later became a prominent businessman. Homage will be paid to the Underground Railroad, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barack Obama.
For more information please visit the tour and events pages.
April 28, 2011
Ground-penetrating Radar at Vale
Employees from Underground Imaging Technologies, using a ground-penetrating radar device, worked with students from the Community Archeology Program at Schenectady County Community College to scan for unmarked graves.
The location was Vale Cemetery's African-American Ancestral Burial Ground in Schenectady.
January 10, 2011
President's Message
Vale can use your help! A few years ago, the Vale Cemetery was running a large annual deficit and the Permanent Maintenance Fund was diminishing. Now the income exceeds expenses, but not by much. Volunteers do a lot of the work – staffing the office, cutting brush, delivering cremains to funeral directors, and other essential duties and services.
Last year, Vale had 37 burials and sold a few burial lots. However, many public misconceptions linger that Vale is a “dangerous area”; that Vale is filled and has no more burial lots available; and that Vale is a city-owned cemetery (it is a not-for-profit cemetery with enough room for 200 more years of burials).
In reality, Vale is quite safe. The Schenectady police frequently patrol; office workers and volunteers are on the premises in the caretaker’s house; and the superintendent and his assistant work all day at the crematory. In addition, seven video cameras keep the entrances under continuous surveillance.
Vale’s major source of income is the operation of the crematory. The price of propane gas used for the crematory has been rising, causing a decrease in income for the cemetery.
How can you help Vale? Contribute your time and/or expertise as a volunteer or board member. Donate your used truck or lawn mower, make a monetary contribution, or remember Vale in your will; or organize your group (religious affiliation, civic or veterans group) for a Vale work day.
Update: Burial Records and Historical Documents
The 33,000 individual burial records and thousands of lot-owner cards are being computerized for preservation and easy access. A loyal group of volunteers, Shirley and Charles Milbert, Paula Bourgeois, and Michael Mott have been working on the records for many months. Soon the task will be completed and records will be available to the public on Vale’s Web site, Valecemetery.org.
[update 6/14: partial records are now available on the development server for testing]
The Web site is maintained by volunteer, Al Sessions. The computerization will preserve the records from fire or flood and will make them instantly accessible in the caretaker’s office for genealogy requests. Hopefully, the computer file will be extended to identify military veterans from the Revolution to the Gulf wars. Ultimately, membership in fraternal organizations (Masons, Elks, Odd Fellows, Eastern Star) and firefighters and police occupations will also be added.
In the future, the geographic location of burial sites by global position satellite (GPS) coordinates is planned. This will help in placing the Memorial Day geraniums and Christmas wreaths ordered from the cemetery by lot owners for deceased family members.
Grant Funds Equipment Purchases
The government program Strategic Health Alliance funded a $2,500 grant to Vale for the purchase of a brush hog (heavy duty) mower and a mobile 30-gallon sprayer. The mower will trim around the fence line and restore the overgrown Section Q on top of the Holland Mausoleum in Vale Park. The sprayer will be used to water dry cemetery areas and to help the Roots & Wisdom youth garden program in the unused Brandywine section.
Last year, a Strategic Health Alliance grant paid to extend the waterline closer to the Roots & Wisdom garden area and to erect a sign explaining the program’s purpose and goals.
Grant Funds Road Repairs
Vale received a $5,000 award from the Fenimore Foundation, which is funded by the Fenimore Asset Management of Cobleskill. The grant is specifically for the restoration of Vale’s roads.
Vale’s roads comprise the Vale 5KRun course and are part of the course for the Stockadathon. Each spring, potholes appear in the paved roads and patching with asphalt is necessary. At some point in time, some road sections will require repaving.
February 2, 2010
Bike Path Coming Soon
Coming soon through Vale Cemetery will be the Hudson-Mohawk Bike-Hike Trail.
First announced in 2006, the Trail runs from Montgomery County to Albany County. Hartgen Archaeologists have completed their test site examination of the Vale property and determined there will be no adverse effects. Almost $700,000 has been allocated to Schenectady County for the project, initiated by the New York State Canal Corporation.
The Trail will enter Vale Park at the Nott Terrace entrance, pass the lower Vale (Lake) Sections A, B and C, then snake through the Cemetery to the Brandywine gate. It will continue up Bradley Boulevard into Central Park ending at Nott Street. The lighting and road improvements anticipated will increase community awareness of Vale as an inviting place to wander through.
Government financial support for the project will help reduce some of the cemetery‟s current financial obligations.
February 2, 2010
Monument Sponsor Support Needed
Certain monuments of notable citizens have been given special attention. The Jewish War Veterans visited the grave and contributed to the restoration of early Schenectady Mayor Modacai Myers.
Major Myers (1776-1871) was a hero of the War of 1812. Restoration specialist Joe Ferrannini toured the plot and estimated the repair cost. A large tree endangering the monument had already been removed.
John Ellis (1795-1884), born in Scotland, founder of what would become the American Locomotive Works, is the largest marker in the cemetery. The family founded Ellis Hospital. Paint balls, chipping granite and structural defects mar its glorious red marble patina. Help is needed!
Christopher Yates (1737-1785) led the Schenectady Sons of Liberty Committee of Correspondence during the American Revolution. He fought in that war and was eventually the founder of the St. George Masonic Lodge. He was the father of New York‟s first governor. Funds are sought to rejuvenate and protect his plot.
Other downed monuments, excluded from the New York State vandalism award, require extensive repair. Time and weather erode the mortar connecting granite and marble with their bases. Weather heaves the ground. It‟s not all vandalism when a stone is down. Time takes its toll.
