Batavia Cemetery

While on Harvester Avenue this morning, I took a short walk through the Batavia Cemetery, because it's always possible to find a picture in the Batavia Cemetery on a clear fall day.

Some time in the past week, vandals knocked over at least six obelisks and gravestones at the Batavia Cemetery.

Jon McManis, with the Batavia Cemetery Association, returned from vacation and spotted the damaged obelisks above and the next day he surveyed the cemetery and found more damage.

"I wish these idiots would realize they're not just tipping over stones, they're wrecking history," McManis said.

The obelisk pictured above -- for the Lewis family -- is the only obelisk with any apparent damage. McManis isn't sure how it can be repaired.  

The others are simply heavy -- weighing 100lbs per column foot -- and the association doesn't necessarily have the spare funds to pay for them to be put back in place.

One gravestone was broke off at its base.

"Why would you want to get your jollies from doing something like this?" McManis asked while looking down at the broken Lewis obelisk.

Anybody with information that might lead to police identifying suspects in the case can call the confidential tip line at 345-6370.

Crews were at the Batavia Cemetery this afternoon cleaning up the remains of a massive tree that fell near the Richmond Mausoleum over the weekend. 

Tree removal is expensive and the Batavia Cemetery Association is asking for donations to help defray the cost. Checks can be mailed to the association at 22 Fisher Park, Batavia, NY 14020.

Also, the "Ladies of Batavia Cemetery" tour that was scheduled for Saturday had to be cancelled Saturday because of the heavy rains. It will be rescheduled for a date later this summer.

Philemon Tracy is believed to be the only Confederate officer buried north of the Mason-Dixon Line. His grave is in the Batavia Cemetery. I didn't notice this flag on his grave on Memorial Day or over the weekend (I was at the cemetery on both occasions, but could have missed it). When I drove down Harvester Avenue today, there it was, which struck me as interesting.

One of the old, giant trees in the Batavia Cemetery fell down yesterday. The massive tree, which broke about 8 feet up its trunk, was located near the front of the cemetery, just south of the Richmond Mausoleum. It doesn't appear that any headstones were damaged.

While at the Batavia Cemetery today, I met three young women doing a photo shoot.  

The group leader was Jessica Wheeler (second picture, white shirt), whose degree in journalism hasn't led to a job -- not uncommon these days -- so she's going to beauty school. She's entering a national contest in hairstyling and the rules stipulate a character from a movie be used, so she decided on a female Madhatter from "Alice in Wonderland."

Wheeler is attending Salon Professional Academy in Buffalo.

The Madhatter is played by Lacey Christner, a recent grad of GCC who will be attending UB as a photography major.

The photographer is Danielle Schaffer, a Batavia resident.

Three more pictures after the jump:

We are fortunate today to be enjoying a pleasant Memorial Day, a little overcast early but now the sun is out.

These photos are from the Batavia Cemetery. I'll have Batavia parade photos and some photos of Genesee County later today.

Most of the people who built Batavia are buried in Batavia Cemetery, from Joseph Ellicott and Dean Richmond to banker Trumbull Cary and writer John Yates, along with war heroes, merchants and politicians, as well as the wives, mothers and children who died too young.

The Batavia Cemetery Association provides a pamphlet for self-guided tours that plots the sites for 35 of the most prominent people buried under the giant, century-old trees that make the cemetery so photogenic.

I started taking photos for this project on Thursday with the idea of doing a post in advance of the Ghost Tour, but the overcast days weren't great for photographing fall leaves, so I couldn't finish up until Saturday morning.

More pictures after the jump:

Batavia history comes alive every October with local historians and history buffs setting up tours that focus on the past and the dead. This October is no exception.

The Batavia Cemetery Association conducted its first 2010 Candlelight Tour of the historic Batavia Cemetery on Saturday night, with another group of tours scheduled for this coming Saturday. Tours begin at 7 p.m. and continue every 15 minutes until 8:30.

On Friday, a tour called "Murder, Mystery & Mayhem" begins at 8 p.m. at the Engine House (3 West Main St., Batavia), with additional tours at 8:15 and 8:30 and again on Oct. 29 at 8, 8:15 and 8:30 p.m.

Also on the Halloween calendar, St. James Episcopal Church presents a "Special Halloween Spooktacular" at 7 p.m., Oct. 30. It will feature the silent movie "Phantom of the Opera," with accompanying organ music by Charles Bradley. Tickets are $10 and proceeds benefit the bell tower restoration.

More pictures from the Ghost Tour after the jump

This afternoon I had the pleasure of touring one of the businesses in the Harvester Center and when I found myself on an upper floor on the south end of the building, I was able to get a picture of William Morgan's statue at an angle we don't usually see.

As long as I was at the Batavia Cemetery, I played around with taking a picture of the William Morgan monument.

Jon McManis talks with a group of fourth-graders from John Kennedy School about William Morgan at the Batavia Cemetery. In the fourth grade, students are taught local history, and the annual Heritage Day tour helps students learn at the gravesites of Batavia's famous people.

Don't forget! The Candlelight Cemetery Ghost Walk that was originally planned for this past Saturday at the Batavia Cemetery was rescheduled to tomorrow, so you still have one last chance to get out and meet the ghost of William Morgan, among others.

For those who missed it a couple weeks back, here's the video with all the info: