State Street Burying Grounds

An engraving from Joel Munsell’s “Annals of Albany” showing
monuments in the State Street Burying Grounds .

The State Street Burying Grounds, was opened by the City of Albany in 1801 to alleviate the overcrowded churchyards and private family graveyards. It was located at the eastern end of what is now Washington Park and was enclosed by a ten-foot high wooden fence.

Most churches were given their own sections of the municipal cemetery and many of the interments from previous church grounds and in the city cemetery at State and Eagle Streets were moved here. The grounds were divided into four large sections for the various churches, as well as an area set aside for strangers, African-Americans, and deceased persons not connected with any religious congregation.

Within a few decades, however, the State Street Burying Ground was already in decline. With the high mortality rate of the early 19 th-century, along with epidemics like the 1832 cholera outbreak, the graveyard was extremely overcrowded. The fence had suffered from neglect and vandalism, livestock wandered freely among the graves, headstones were stolen or damaged and immigrant gangs used the forlorn spot for violent brawls.

In 1841, in response to a growing problem with flooding at the State Street Burial Ground, and continued deterioration of church cemeteries, a public movement was undertaken to purchase and develop a “Rural cemetery,” beautifully landscaped and outside the city. This led to the incorporation of Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, New York on April 2, 1841.

After the opening of Albany Rural Cemetery in 1844, the State Street Burying Grounds became so pitiful that is was deemed “in the highest decree discreditable to the city authorities and the churches interested.” A future Superintendent of Albany’s parks later recalled that there was “a mouldy and neglected air about the place.”

In 1866, Albany’s Common Council addressed the matter of the Burying Grounds and passed a resolution to close it. All graves in it would be removed to the Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands and reburied in a special lot set aside for that purpose. Before removal, “competent persons” would be engaged to copy all inscriptions from the monuments. A complete list of these inscriptions – which range from merely initials or first names to short epitaphs – would later be published along with a complete copy of the Common Council’s resolution.

Permission was sought from and granted by the various congregations with sections in the State Street Burying Grounds for the transfer of the graves at the city’s expense. The total cost to copy the inscriptions, exhume the remains, provide new coffins, remove all headstones, and transport the coffins and monuments out to the Albany Rural Cemetery was about $45,000.

A section at Albany Rural Cemetery called the “Church Ground” was set aside and marked out by church name to receive the re-interments. Among those transferred were original interments from:

African Methodist Episcopal Church

Albany Society of Friends

Baptist Church

Catholic Church Grounds

Ebenezer Lutheran Church

First Presbyterian Church

First Universalist Church

Garretson Station Methodist Episcopal Church

Methodist Episcopal Church

Potter’s Field

Reformed Protestant Dutch Church

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church

Second Presbyterian Church

Third Presbyterian Church

United Presbyterian Church

A section at Albany Rural Cemetery called the “Church Ground” was set aside and marked out by church name to receive the re-interments. (and because some graves lacked headstones entirely), the markers were laid out in flat rows over the field. These monuments range from simple slabs bearing only names to more elaborately carved stones featuring willow trees, angels, winged cherub heads and skulls.

Note: St. Agnes Catholic Cemetery in Menands was founded at this time and disinterments from the Catholic Church Grounds Section of the State Street Burial grounds were brought to St. Agnes.

A row of headstones in the Church Grounds section of the Albany Rural Cemetery

The Church Grounds section is one of the fascinating sections of the Albany Rural Cemetery. Located deep within the Cemetery just beyond the western end of the Middle Ridge, the Church Grounds can be easily missed since, from a distance, it looks like an empty field. But it is well worth a visit. It appears on Cemetery maps as Section 49.

In 1868, the land formerly occupied by the State Street Burying Ground became part of the newly created Washington Park, which is one of Albany’s most popular outdoor spaces.

Modern Washington Park near the old location of the State Street Burying Grounds .

The granite monument pictured below is near the south side of the Church Grounds marks the lot set aside for The Society of Friends.  According to the Special Report published by the Common Council at the time of the removal of all graves from the State Street Burying Grounds, the Friends required “not less than one-fourth of an acre for the future want of that Society.”

An inscription on the lower part of the monument reads,
“ Be still and know that I am God.”

 

State Street Burying Grounds Internments

wdt_ID SURNAME GIVEN NAME COMMENTS DATE OF DEATH AGE- YRS AGE- MOS AGE- DAYS CHURCH CEMETERY
1 Abbey Eliphalet Killian 08 Aug 1834 27 8 10 Second Presbyterian Church
2 Abbot George F. 23 Mar 1811 36 9 20 St. Peter's Episcopal Church
3 Abbot John James 19 Jul 1810 84 0 0 St. Peter's Episcopal Church
4 Abbot Mary Catharine Wife of John James Abbot 19 Aug 1809 64 0 0 St. Peter's Episcopal Church
5 Abbot Surname See: Holmes, Elizabeth Abbot 0 0 0 Baptist Church
6 Abbott John N. Son of Sylvester and Louisa Abbott 20 Jan 1834 0 3 26 First Presbyterian Church
7 Abbott Lydia Consort of John Abbott 09 Aug 1822 32 5 1 Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
8 Abel Andrew Wheelwright - Born March 22, 1779 22 Apr 1815 36 0 0 Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
9 Abel Andrew 05 Oct 1793 48 0 11 Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
10 Abel Ann Daughter of Andrew and Johannah 16 Apr 1810 35 9 27 Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
11 Abel Elizabeth Wife of Henry Abel 05 May 1825 43 1 28 Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
12 Abel Elizabeth 27 Aug 1829 45 4 25 Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
13 Abel Henry 19 Jul 1832 60 1 25 Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
14 Abel Henry VanPatten Son of Henry and Elizabeth Abel 28 Oct 1807 1 3 29 Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
15 Abel Johannah Wife of Andrew Abel 30 May 1828 76 3 21 Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
16 Abel Peter Son of Andrew and Anatie Abel 15 Feb 1794 0 9 25 Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
17 Abel Surname See: Schermerhorn, Gertrude Abel 0 0 0 Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
18 Abel Hester Daughter 13 Nov 1807 3 1 11 Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
19 Ableman Christian G. 04 Mar 1837 93 0 0 Ebenezer Lutheran Church
20 Ableman Rojinah Wife of Christian G. Ableman 28 Apr 1831 66 0 0 Ebenezer Lutheran Church
21 Ackerman Gilbert 11 Oct 1834 66 10 0 Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
22 Ackerman Jacob 26 Oct 1825 26 0 4 Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
23 Ackerman Rachel DeGarmo Wife of Gilbert Ackerman 10 Aug 1827 54 0 0 Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
24 Acres Ann Eliza Daughter of Thomas & Eliza Acres 08 Sep 1823 1 2 17 Second Presbyterian Church
25 Acres Eliza Wife of Thomas Acres 02 Sep 1824 26 0 0 Second Presbyterian Church
26 Acres Thomas 18 May 1827 32 5 22 Second Presbyterian Church
27 Adams Abby Wife of Henry Adams 18 Feb 1853 56 0 0 Albany Society of Friends
28 Adams Ann Bassett Wife of Samuel Adams 15 Jul 1814 22 9 9 St. Peter's Episcopal Church
29 Adams Ann Sophia 15 Aug 1813 1 3 17 St. Peter's Episcopal Church
30 Adams Infant Infant child of Samuel Adams 14 Jul 1814 0 0 19 St. Peter's Episcopal Church
31 Adee Clarrisa Wife of William Adee 24 Aug 1805 22 0 0 First Presbyterian Church
32 Agnew John Native of Ireland 09 Sep 1837 37 0 0 St. Peter's Episcopal Church
33 Agnew John See: Monroe, Margaret 0 0 0 St. Peter's Episcopal Church
34 Agnew Mary See: Monroe, Margaret 0 0 0 St. Peter's Episcopal Church
35 Aikens James 13 Aug 1848 59 0 0 Methodist Episcopal Church
36 Aikens Rebecah D Wife of James Aikens 10 Sep 1837 36 0 0 Methodist Episcopal Church
37 Aitkin William Son of John & Janet Aitkin 03 Jun 1833 3 11 0 United Presbyterian Church
38 Albers Gertrude 0 0 0 First Universalist Church
39 Alden John Born December 20, 1809 in Clairmount, New Hampshire 16 Jun 1845 35 5 26 First Universalist Church
40 Allanson Isabella Daughter of Peter & Sarah Allanson 24 Dec 1813 11 0 0 St. Peter's Episcopal Church
41 Allanson Sally 04 Aug 1810 7 7 0 St. Peter's Episcopal Church
42 Allen Anna Hall Wife of James Allen 12 Nov 1832 61 0 0 St. Peter's Episcopal Church
43 Allen Bulah Wife of Rev. Solomon Allen of Massachusetts 29 May 1813 62 0 0 First Presbyterian Church
44 Allen Harriet Sheldon Daughter of Plinny and Louisa Allen 21 Jan 1813 0 2 8 First Presbyterian Church
45 Allen Horace 01 Nov 1836 61 0 0 Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
46 Allen Jane 04 Sep 1847 72 0 0 Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
47 Allen Mary Wife of Tilly Allen 15 Jan 1833 46 0 0 Second Presbyterian Church
48 Allen Mary Wife of Tilly Allen 25 Sep 1816 26 0 0 Second Presbyterian Church
49 Allen Orville J. Son of William and A. Allen 29 Apr 1853 3 0 13 Albany Society of Friends
50 Allen Surname See: Russell, Amanda M. Allen 0 0 0 Baptist Church