Greenridge Cemetery
Early History
Landon 1872
Greenridge Cemetery was established in 1844, after the older Putnam Burial Grounds and Sadler Burial Grounds became overcrowded and unsanitary. Greenridge was designed in keeping with the Rural Cemetery Movement of the 19th Century. Rural Cemeteries were designed to imitate European pleasure gardens and were frequently used recreationally--they were a place to see and be seen.
In the 1860s, complaints began to surface in the Saratogian about disrepair in the cemetery. In response, the Greenridge Cemetery Association formed in 1880, it's primary purpose being to beautify, maintain, and expand the cemetery. That same year, the association expanded the cemetery by 17 acres, creating the "New Section" of Greenridge; the section established by the city in 1844 is now known as the 'Old Section'.
In the 1860s, complaints began to surface in the Saratogian about disrepair in the cemetery. In response, the Greenridge Cemetery Association formed in 1880, it's primary purpose being to beautify, maintain, and expand the cemetery. That same year, the association expanded the cemetery by 17 acres, creating the "New Section" of Greenridge; the section established by the city in 1844 is now known as the 'Old Section'.
Who's There?
New Section of Greenridge, Walking Tour 2006
Greenridge Cemetery contains some of the biggest names in Saratoga Springs' history. In fact, the town’s very first settler, Alexander Bryan, is buried there. Other big names in Greenridge include Ransom Cook, inventor of the Cook Auger and the stencil; George Sherman Batcheller, New York's youngest state legislator; Charles D. Dowd, initiator of Standard Time in the United States. The cemetery also holds the burials of 20 Native Americans of the St. Regis tribe; they lie in unmarked graves, as per their custom.
War memorials have a large presence in the cemetery, commemorating Saratogians like Private David Price who served in the 54th Regiment (depicted in the 1989 movie Glory). Private Price is now buried alongside other soldiers and veterans in the Civil War Memorial plot, which was purchased in 1901. The cemetery also houses monuments to the Spanish American War, and the World Wars.
Since its establishment, Greenridge has been non-sectarian and non-discriminatory. It contains people of diverse races, religions and social classes; there is even a section of the cemetery dedicated to indigent or homeless individuals who might not otherwise have a cemetery plot. Catholics, however, purchased plots in the consecrated Catholic section of the cemetery. Ellen Hardin Walworth, founder of the DAR and renowned Saratoga Springs resident, lies in this flat section, having been converted to Catholicism by a family member.
War memorials have a large presence in the cemetery, commemorating Saratogians like Private David Price who served in the 54th Regiment (depicted in the 1989 movie Glory). Private Price is now buried alongside other soldiers and veterans in the Civil War Memorial plot, which was purchased in 1901. The cemetery also houses monuments to the Spanish American War, and the World Wars.
Since its establishment, Greenridge has been non-sectarian and non-discriminatory. It contains people of diverse races, religions and social classes; there is even a section of the cemetery dedicated to indigent or homeless individuals who might not otherwise have a cemetery plot. Catholics, however, purchased plots in the consecrated Catholic section of the cemetery. Ellen Hardin Walworth, founder of the DAR and renowned Saratoga Springs resident, lies in this flat section, having been converted to Catholicism by a family member.
Greenridge Today
Today, Greenridge Cemetery is still
jointly owned by the town and the Greenridge Cemetery Association (GCA); the
town owns the Old Section and the GCA owns the New Section. Since the
early 1980's, various documentation and restoration projects have taken place
in the cemetery, ensuring the preservation of both Saratoga's history and one
of its most important landmarks. Unfortunately, the cemetery has also
been the victim of vandalism; in the mid-1990's, the Board of Directors reported
$18,000 worth of damage over five years. The cemetery also suffers from
the inevitable wear-and-tear of time; luckily, the GCA and the occasional
volunteer work hard to keep the cemetery as beautifully landscaped and
maintained as possible, as it was designed to be.
Since its founding in 1844, the cemetery has undergone many transformations. In the 19th-century it was both pleasure ground and cemetery, whereas today it is primarily a cemetery. Until 1880, it spanned only 5-acres, whereas today it spans about 35. It was meticulously maintained until the 1870s, slipped into disrepair during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is now well-kept again. Despite periods of change however, the cemetery has always housed the people of Saratoga--those that built the town, those that fought for the town, those that loved the town--and for that reason, it is certainly a Sacred Space within Saratoga Springs.
You can visit Greenridge Cemetery any day of the week between dawn and dusk. In the summer, the Preservation Foundation runs tours of the cemetery, and additional tours can be scheduled through the Visitor's Center. See here for additional details.
Since its founding in 1844, the cemetery has undergone many transformations. In the 19th-century it was both pleasure ground and cemetery, whereas today it is primarily a cemetery. Until 1880, it spanned only 5-acres, whereas today it spans about 35. It was meticulously maintained until the 1870s, slipped into disrepair during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is now well-kept again. Despite periods of change however, the cemetery has always housed the people of Saratoga--those that built the town, those that fought for the town, those that loved the town--and for that reason, it is certainly a Sacred Space within Saratoga Springs.
You can visit Greenridge Cemetery any day of the week between dawn and dusk. In the summer, the Preservation Foundation runs tours of the cemetery, and additional tours can be scheduled through the Visitor's Center. See here for additional details.
What Makes Greenridge Sacred?
“I think it’s because the people who really made a difference—I love this quote…“lives of great men all remind us we can make our lives sublime, and departing, leave behind us footprints on the sands of time.” So if you ask me about Greenridge, that’s where the footprints are of people who really made Saratoga…You know, a lot of tours of Saratoga are all about the visitors, people who pay; it was always a tourist town. But the people in Greenridge are the people who built the town and loved it and got buried there. They picked Greenridge because of, in my opinion, a love for Saratoga.” -Greenridge Cemetery Tour Guide, Gloria May
"I just have gotten to know people who are going to be there and I know people who are there that I never thought I’d have those kinds of relationships with. It’s an opportunity to think about them again...that’s what I like about going...it’s an opportunity to pay respects to them and visualize what it was like when they were first there." -Greenridge Cemetery Association Board Member, Tim Mabee
"I just have gotten to know people who are going to be there and I know people who are there that I never thought I’d have those kinds of relationships with. It’s an opportunity to think about them again...that’s what I like about going...it’s an opportunity to pay respects to them and visualize what it was like when they were first there." -Greenridge Cemetery Association Board Member, Tim Mabee