Mt. Albion Cemetery
“We have met to provide a mansion for the dead. We have come out from our quiet homes and the bright sunlight and the crowded streets and all the garish show of life, to this secluded spot to set apart a last final resting place where the weary pilgrim…may come and lay down his burden forever…” – Daniel R. Cady, Esq.
Benjamin Franklin once said that there are but two certainties in life; death and taxes. For the pioneers of Albion, the question of a sacred final resting place plagued them from the earliest years of settlement. Small burial grounds existed within the village limits, but the harsh realities of life and death proved problematic for these noble citizens. It became apparent soon after the incorporation of the village that a cemetery on East State Street would be quickly overcome with the bodies of those who succumbed to the tribulations of pioneer life.Discussions shifted to purchasing land outside of the municipal boundaries, which required an amendment to the village charter. Yet after careful consideration, the proposition to amend the charter was replaced by a full redrafting of the document under the care and attention of Arad Thomas and Lorenzo Burrows. Upon the conclusion of this task, Alexis Ward and Lorenzo Burrows were charged with selecting an appropriate site for this new municipal cemetery. A large sandy drumlin east of the village limits provided the ideal spot for the burial of local citizens. The village purchased 25 acres from Lyman Patterson and Jacob Annis, the land containing a mixture of rolling meadows and wooded hills; $1,000 was the final price.
It is believed that upon the dedication of the cemetery on September 7, 1843, the first lots were sold at auction. Those families who purchased graves were responsible for the initial upkeep of these final resting spots. Even after the first interment occurred in October of 1843, the care of individual lots was lacking in even the smallest of improvements. For nearly 20 years, it was the responsibility of the village trustees to oversee the management of the cemetery. With no dedicated caretaker of supervisor, the work often fell upon the village president.
The response to this problem was the appointment of Dr. Lemuel Paine, Lorenzo Burrows, and Henry Sickels as the first three commissioners of the cemetery while Michael Hanley was hired as the first caretaker. The first task of the commissioners was to construct a receiving vault and caretaker’s house on the western end of the cemetery (now the main entrance).
According to research by Marguerite Monacelli and Eleanor Wilder, a schedule of allowance for services was established:
1. Digging a grave and attendance of burial service for a child under 12: $1.00 without box, $1.50 with box.
2. Digging a grave and attendance of burial service for person over 12: $1.50 without box, $2.00 with box.
3. Depositing of remains in vault: $.50 with burial in Mt. Albion, $1.00 with burial in another cemetery.
4. Improving and ornamenting lots owned by individuals: $1.00 per day.
As families decided to relocate graves from small family burial grounds starting in the early 1860s, a fee of $3.00 was assessed per interment and added costs associated with the construction of “vaults” from stone or brick.
Soldiers & Sailors Monument
The Soldiers & Sailors Monument is perhaps the most impressive and beautiful war memorials in our area, but the true significance of the shrine is often overshadowed by the novelty and “thrill of the climb” up the winding steel staircase. There is a commonality between the circumstances surrounding the efforts to erect this monument to the memory of over 450 men who lost their lives during the Civil War and the war itself. In the face of grave sacrifice, a community struggled to memorialize the hundreds of young men, sons, brothers, and fathers, who left the security of home for ideals far greater than themselves.Efforts to construct a county-wide memorial were initiated in 1864, but the association struggled to raise the necessary funds to complete the project. In 1868, the Orleans County Monument Association was established with Ezra T. Coann, H. J. Van Dusen, E. K. Hart, Joseph Cornell, Calvin Beach, John N. Proctor, Charles A. Harrington, John Hull White, Walker Mattison, Seth Spencer, Henry A. King, and Hiram Sickels as directors. Fundraising was slow, but the group was persistent in their labors. By 1874, the organization had raised $3,000 and construction began soon after with an additional $2,000 from the Cemetery Association. On July 4, 1876, as the nation celebrated its centennial, Orleans County dedicated the newly completed Soldiers & Sailors Monument.
“The Tower” remained a permanent fixture on Albion’s horizon and over the years became a destination for local youth, with varying intentions, who trekked to the top. Time chipped away at the monument and by the 1970s was in significant need of tender care and attention. The Orleans County Historical Monument Corporation, with involvement from notable local residents including C. W. Lattin, Harold Breuilly, and Donna Rodden, shouldered the burden of raising the necessary funds to restore the local landmark. With over $20,000 raised, the tower was repaired and rededicated on July 4, 1976; the centennial of the monument and bicentennial of the nation.
On two separate occasions, the community labored tirelessly to preserve the memory of local soldiers. Although erected to memorialize those who sacrificed their lives during the Civil War, perhaps the tower is more a monument to the perseverance of a community; a community that values the preservation and understanding of the past. With a monument that is 142 years old and a cemetery celebrating 175 years, we are fortunate to have such breathtaking landmarks scattered throughout our area.
