Oakwood Cemetery

We are thrilled to share our virtual tour of Oakwood Cemetery (click for full screen presentation). This tour features some new capabilities - an aerial panorama which connects to many 3D Tours and panoramic shots. This opens up many new possibilities for interior / exterior discovery. Make sure to explore the annotated 3D Tour of the Gardner Earl Chapel, one of the most amazing and unique victorian spaces we’ve ever seen. The 3D Tour of Uncle Sam’s gravesite contains the only known photo of Sam Wilson the real-life Uncle Sam (courtesy of Duncan Crary Communications). It’s been a joy to collaborate with the team at Oakwood Cemetery, we hope to continue documenting the grounds throughout the seasons.

Oakwood cemetery was designed by architect John C. Sidney and underwent its greatest development in the late 19th century under superintendent John Boetcher, who incorporated rare foliage and a clear landscape design strategy. Oakwood was the fourth rural cemetery opened in New York and its governing body was the first rural cemetery association created in the state.

It features four man-made lakes, two residential structures, a chapel, a crematorium, 24 mausolea, and about 60,000 graves, and has about 29 miles (47 km) of roads. It is known both for its dense foliage and rolling lawns, and has historically been used as a public park by Lansingburgh and Troy residents. Oakwood was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Prominent Americans such as Uncle Sam Wilson, Russell Sage, and Emma Willard, at least fourteen members of the United States House of Representatives, nine civil war generals, and the founders of both Troy and Lansingburgh are buried at Oakwood. The cemetery has been said to be "one of New York State's most distinguished and well-preserved nineteenth-century rural cemeteries. It also offers a famous panoramic view of the Hudson River Valley that is said to be the "most concentrated and complete overview of American history anywhere in America"