Several cemetery tours will take place across New York State in September. There will be another blog post for cemetery tours in October.
*The Seneca Falls Historical Society (Seneca County) will present “Stepping Back in Time: A Walking Tour of Restvale Cemetery,” on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 4 p.m.
The tour will explore the lives, stories, and legacies of some of the community’s notable residents and the lasting marks they made on Seneca Falls and its history. Featured individuals will include Jacob Chamberlain, Grace Woodworth, Seabury Gould, and Wilhelmus Mynderse.
The tour will take place primarily in Section B of Restvale Cemetery. The cost is $8 for members and $10 for nonmembers. Advance registration is welcome but not required. The program will take place rain or shine. For more information, go to: https://sfhistoricalsociety.square.site/upcoming-programs
*The Horseheads Historical Society (Chemung County) will present “The History, Mystery and Lore Ghost Walk” on Saturday, Sept. 19 and Sunday, Sept. 20 from 3-8:30 p.m. each day. The tour will feature Maple Grove Cemetery. Participants will meet a series of actors dressed as notable people from the Town of Horseheads telling true stories about their past.
Tickets are limited. The cost is $15 for general admission and $10 for historical society members. For more information, go to: https://www.horseheadshistoricalsociety.com/
*The Huntington Historical Society will host tours of the Huntington Rural Cemetery (Suffolk County) on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 10 a.m.
The tour begins at the doors of The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building (228 Main Street). This building, just outside the Burying Ground, was built in 1892 as a memorial to the Huntington residents who died in the Civil War. From there the tour will explore Huntington’s earliest public burying ground, established soon after the Town’s 1653 founding. You’ll view stunning folk art and beautiful epitaphs while listening to stories of Huntington’s residents and rich history.
Tickets are $10 for members, $15 for non-members and $5 for children. Tickets are limited. To purchase tickets, go to: https://huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org/events/old-burying-ground-tour/
*The Westfield Cemetery Tour Through History (Chautauqua County) will take place on Friday, Sept. 25 and Saturday, Sept. 26.
Come see local actors bring residents of Westfield “back to life.” Horse drawn carriage tours or walking tours are available. Horse drawn carriage tours are $25 per person and will take place at 6 pm, 7 pm , 8 pm and 9 pm on Friday and at 5 pm, 6 pm, 7 pm and 8 pm on Saturday. Walking tours are $15 per adult and $5 for children under 18. Walking tours will be at 6:30 pm and 7:30 pm both nights.
For ticket information, go to: www.givebutter.com/westfield2026
*The Huntington Historical Society will host tours of the Huntington Rural Cemetery (Suffolk County) on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 3 p.m.
The tour begins at the doors of The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building (228 Main Street). This building, just outside the Burying Ground, was built in 1892 as a memorial to the Huntington residents who died in the Civil War. From there the tour will explore Huntington’s earliest public burying ground, established soon after the Town’s 1653 founding. You’ll view stunning folk art and beautiful epitaphs while listening to stories of Huntington’s residents and rich history.
Tickets are $10 for members, $15 for non-members and $5 for children. Tickets are limited. To purchase tickets, go to: https://huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org/events/old-burying-ground-tour-2/
*The Jefferson County Historical Society will present a 2.2 mile tour of Brookside Cemetery on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 10 a.m. This tour can be done on foot or by car. Explore one of Watertown’s most beautiful and historic landscapes as we uncover the stories of the people who shaped our community.
The cost is $15 for members and $18 for non-members. Tickets can be pre-purchased at the Paddock Mansion or at the day of the event.
*The Friends of Mt. Adnah Cemetery, in Fulton, will be “bringing back” some of its famous residents as part of a unique event: “Mt Adnah Cemetery Spirits Speak,” a historic play set as a brief tour, on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25 and 26.
Eight actors in period costumes will portray some of Fulton’s most famous “residents” of the cemetery. Everyone from Neil Jones, a science fiction writer to Marlon Brando’s great uncle (Marlon H. Brando) and Horace Webb, the Barnum & Bailey Circus king of clowns.
Cost is $25 per ticket, and includes refreshments. The tour on Friday is at 8 p.m. and on Saturday tours are at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. (maximum 55 per tour) and are rain or shine. To purchase tickets, click here
*The Sachem Public Library will offer a tour of New Village Cemetery in Lake Grove on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 1 p.m. Cemetery Historian Robert von Bernewitz will walk through the New Village Cemetery and discuss the history of the ca. 1810 New Village Church and the early settlers of the New Village/Centereach area. Come and explore the changing symbolism on the cemetery grave markers. Find out the stories of the men and women that served in the armed forces that helped preserve our freedom.
To register, go to: https://sachem.librarycalendar.com/event/new-village-cemetery-walking-tour-182608
*Historic Ithaca will be offering a tour of the Ithaca City Cemetery on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 10 a.m. Historic Ithaca’s preservation staff and the Friends of the Ithaca City Cemetery will discuss the cemetery’s history and conservation efforts as we walk through this historic landscape to examine selected grave sites including Revolutionary War and Civil War veterans’ plots with new replacement markers. Meet at the main stone entrance gates to the cemetery on University Avenue. To register for the tour, go to: https://www.historicithaca.org/events
*The 13th annual Spirit Walk at Temple Hill Cemetery in Geneseo will take place on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
The tour will bridge art and biography, pairing Victorian-era headstones with the lives of those who passed on. The Victorian era held sentimental values and mourning rituals that left meaningful symbolism on the graves.
Performers dressed in Victorian-era garb will bring local history to life, introducing notable families and explaining the deep and symbolic meaning behind their gravestones. Highlights of this year’s tour include the Honeywell Family, the patriarch who served as Temple Hill’s superintendent for 44 years and the white bronze of the Sinclair Family’s monument, while learning about their contributions to literature and science.
Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $5 to $20 per family to support cemetery preservation. For more information, go to: https://templehillcemetery.com/
