Amidst acres of autumn-hued trees, stone bridges, and meandering creek stands a striking bronze statue of Chief Red Jacket, a mausoleum dedicated to Millard Fillmore, and an elaborately etched black marble tombstone bearing the image of famed Buffalo musician Rick James.
The Forest Lawn Cemetery, located in Buffalo's Delaware district, is registered as a Nationally Historic Place.
The cemetery's Heritage Foundation commenced its second annual Sunday in the Cemetery Concert and Lecture Series on Oct. 3 with a presentation by Jare Cardinal Seneca Iroquois National Museum and an authentic dance and performance by dancers from Salamanca-area high schools – all in celebration of cemetery resident Chief Red Jacket. ? Sunday in the Cemetery warms up the coldest months of Buffalo's year with a series of historical lectures, concerts, and performances held at the historic Forest Lawn chapel, built in 1882 and located in the heart of the cemetery.
The events, which all sold out last year, have been expanded to accommodate additional guests and will continue on the second Sunday of every month until April.? "We started this event last year thinking that the cemetery should be utilized in each beautiful season [of the year]," said Sandy Starks, interpretive program director at Forest Lawn.? The Sunday in the Cemetery Lecture and Concert Series exists to show off the cemetery's natural year-round beauty and to showcase Buffalo and many of the famous people and events that make up its rich and influential history.
"With its 269 acres, three lakes, a creek, and 14 miles of roadway, Forest Lawn Cemetery is the home to 160,000 deceased," said Nancy Cardillo, Forest Lawn docent and tour guide. "It is the largest aviary and largest arboretum in Western New York."
Founded in 1849, Forest Lawn was built as part of a new movement of thinkers who wanted their deceased loved ones to be buried in a paid plot in a gated graveyard, as opposed to traditional churchyard and backyard plots or other arbitrary burials.
Back when Forest Lawn was considered a "rural cemetery," families would often make a day trip out of a carriage ride to the cemetery to visit relatives and enjoy nature and funeral art.? Some of the most influential inventors and businessmen who are responsible for many key appliances, manufacturing processes and advances in transportation are celebrated in Forest Lawn with extravagant mausoleums, statues, obelisks and other unique gravesite displays.? The historic figures that reside in Forest Lawn range from Millard Fillmore, 13th president of the United States and first chancellor of the University of Buffalo (when it was a private medical school), to Alfred P. Southwick, the dentist who developed the idea of the electric chair.? "Buffalo was the gateway to the West once," Starks said. "[Inventions such as] air conditioning and the U.S. Weather Bureau originated in Buffalo, and their inventors are buried [in Forest Lawn]."
Kimberly Gergelis, junior chemistry major and Buffalo-born resident, admits she is aware of Buffalo's illustrious past but has only heard of it from school experience. This event gives her another opportunity to visit Forest Lawn more than once a year.? "I generally don't walk around in cemeteries," Gergelis said. "But if I knew about an event [like this] that could tell me more about Buffalo, I would definitely go."
The events start with a mini-concert from a group or performer related to the theme of the series. That is followed by an hour-long lecture from a journalist, historian, or scholar.? Forest Lawn Cemetery has summer Sunday tours and hosts an African American tour, a women's history tour, a Civil War tour, and an art and architecture tour. Private tours with student rates can also be booked.? The main entrance to Forest Lawn Cemetery is located at 1141 Delaware Ave. Each event in the Sunday in the Cemetery concert series starts at 2 p.m. on every other Sunday of the month. Tickets for each event are $15.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
