To continue the history of the Weedsport Rural Cemetery, several plots of grave sites are owned, or have been owned by veterans, or civic organizations.
Among these are the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) and the Weedsport Volunteer Fire Department.
As would be expected the individuals buried in the GAR plot were veterans of the American Civil War, mainly members of the local John C. Whiteside Post of the GAR. In the late 1800s a well-respected young member of the fire department who worked at a local brewery was killed leaving a young family behind with little means of survival, let alone a burial plot.
Out of gratitude for his service to the community, the cemetery board met and conveyed to the Weedsport Fire Department a plot of land suitable for several burials intended for use in similar situations. Many years later in 1925 another member of the fire department was also put to rest there.
During the 1970s, the late Dwight (Doc) Goodwin prevailed upon the fire department to erect head stones for the two gentlemen interred there, and a few years ago the fire department had a beautiful piece of statuary placed on the plot.
Wandering through the cemetery, one cannot help but admire the beauty of many of the older monuments and wonder how they were transported and erected in a day before hydraulic cranes, trucks and other such equipment.
The tall Mack family obelisk is a good example. It stands as straight and level today as it did in 1880 when it was erected.
To stroll through the grounds looking at the monuments, one cannot help but recall the names of families no longer on the local scene, but which at one time apparently had considerable influence in the community.
The names are like a who's who of Weedsport history: Van Tine, Sittser, Hardy, Devlin, Austin, Brown, Sheldon, Caywood, Whaley, Dixon, Remington, Titus, Shaw, Stickle, Strong, Adams, Havens, Van Norstrand, Shurtleff, Sprague, Bentley, Fellows, Gildersleeve, Hunting, Holland, Putnam, Davie, Ingalls, Bell, Bryant and on and on. Many of these same names will still be seen today on road names or buildings in the village.
Originally the cemetery entrance was at the lower end of the property, with a second entrance at the top of the hill. Due to the number of automobile accidents at the lower entrance (remember, it was horse and buggy for many years after the cemetery opened) an entrance was created about halfway up the hill.
The main gate was originally an ornate frame structure, which eventually gave way to a wrought iron gate and sign along with a wrought iron frontal fence along Route 31B.
The fence gradually deteriorated and was removed about 30 years ago.
The wrought iron gate, which severely limited the size of the trucks now necessary to do cemetery business, was also removed and placed facing the highway as a decorational sign.
The headstone of Revolutionary War hero Adam Helmer is in the cemetery, as are many other heroes of every war ever fought by this country.
The low point in the history of the cemetery came in 1994 when several teenagers from the Auburn area broke into one of the private mausoleums and stole a skull.
The crime was quickly solved by the Cayuga County Sheriffs office and the miscreants brought to justice.
The cemetery still operates as it did when it was started all those years ago with a board elected by the lot owners, who do their best to ensure the tradition carries on as Secretary Remington said all those years ago, “to provide a beautiful resting place for all eternity” for members of the community.
The cemetery grounds are kept immaculate by a dedicated crew of groundskeepers under the direction of Superintendent Ray Swim.
Denny Randall is president of the Old Brutus Historical Society
in Weedsport.
As would be expected the individuals buried in the GAR plot were veterans of the American Civil War, mainly members of the local John C. Whiteside Post of the GAR. In the late 1800s a well-respected young member of the fire department who worked at a local brewery was killed leaving a young family behind with little means of survival, let alone a burial plot.
Out of gratitude for his service to the community, the cemetery board met and conveyed to the Weedsport Fire Department a plot of land suitable for several burials intended for use in similar situations. Many years later in 1925 another member of the fire department was also put to rest there.
During the 1970s, the late Dwight (Doc) Goodwin prevailed upon the fire department to erect head stones for the two gentlemen interred there, and a few years ago the fire department had a beautiful piece of statuary placed on the plot.
Wandering through the cemetery, one cannot help but admire the beauty of many of the older monuments and wonder how they were transported and erected in a day before hydraulic cranes, trucks and other such equipment.
The tall Mack family obelisk is a good example. It stands as straight and level today as it did in 1880 when it was erected.
To stroll through the grounds looking at the monuments, one cannot help but recall the names of families no longer on the local scene, but which at one time apparently had considerable influence in the community.
The names are like a who's who of Weedsport history: Van Tine, Sittser, Hardy, Devlin, Austin, Brown, Sheldon, Caywood, Whaley, Dixon, Remington, Titus, Shaw, Stickle, Strong, Adams, Havens, Van Norstrand, Shurtleff, Sprague, Bentley, Fellows, Gildersleeve, Hunting, Holland, Putnam, Davie, Ingalls, Bell, Bryant and on and on. Many of these same names will still be seen today on road names or buildings in the village.
Originally the cemetery entrance was at the lower end of the property, with a second entrance at the top of the hill. Due to the number of automobile accidents at the lower entrance (remember, it was horse and buggy for many years after the cemetery opened) an entrance was created about halfway up the hill.
The main gate was originally an ornate frame structure, which eventually gave way to a wrought iron gate and sign along with a wrought iron frontal fence along Route 31B.
The fence gradually deteriorated and was removed about 30 years ago.
The wrought iron gate, which severely limited the size of the trucks now necessary to do cemetery business, was also removed and placed facing the highway as a decorational sign.
The headstone of Revolutionary War hero Adam Helmer is in the cemetery, as are many other heroes of every war ever fought by this country.
The low point in the history of the cemetery came in 1994 when several teenagers from the Auburn area broke into one of the private mausoleums and stole a skull.
The crime was quickly solved by the Cayuga County Sheriffs office and the miscreants brought to justice.
The cemetery still operates as it did when it was started all those years ago with a board elected by the lot owners, who do their best to ensure the tradition carries on as Secretary Remington said all those years ago, “to provide a beautiful resting place for all eternity” for members of the community.
The cemetery grounds are kept immaculate by a dedicated crew of groundskeepers under the direction of Superintendent Ray Swim.
Denny Randall is president of the Old Brutus Historical Society
in Weedsport.
