Saving Graves: Action Alert

Saving Graves
"Working together to preserve and protect endangered cemeteries"

Lakeside Cemetery - Hamburg, Erie County, New York

Cemetery Name: Lakeside/Forest Lawn Cemetery
Street: Camp Road, Rte 75
City: Hamburg
County: Erie
State: NY
Zip: 14075
Land Type: Both Public and Private
Status: Active
Number of graves: ?
Oldest grave: Late 1800s
Records: Yes
Inventory: Cemetery records are stored on-site. Searches by office personnel and by appointment only. A partial listing can be found here
Owner: Lakeside Memorial Park and Mausoleum, Hamburg (ERIE COUNTY NY)
Contact: Norman Czintz, Vice President
Address: 4973 Rogers Rd., Hamburg, NY 14075
Telephone: (716) 649-5507

Location

This cemetery has been in operation since 1898 and is non-sectarian. The facilities include a chapel and mausoleum. Cemetery is open 24 hours for visitation; office hours are 8AM-4PM. Cemetery records are stored on-site. Searches by office personnel and by appointment only.

Description

The oldest part of the cemetery seems to be neglected, with stones decaying, tipped and ready to fall, stones broken and left, ground sagging and stones are being covered with dirt and debris. Stones leaning on one another, pieces left laying around and not repaired.

Problem

See above, as the oldest valuable marble stones are neglected. Soil has eroded from under the stones allowing the stones to tip, fall and break, ruining historic preservation and documentation of person. Stones are just laying tipped over on the ground, some are embedded they have been there so long.

Previous Contacts

Only you so far, I didn't know who to contact.

Current Status

Beginning of either funding to get this done or examination as to why this is occurring.

Submitted by / Contact for additional Information:

name: Linda C. Arthur
Email: LCA2112@aol.com

UPDATE

I paid a visit to this cemetery on Saturday, May 6, 2000, and have taken photograph's. And I've found this cemetery in much better condition than other cemeteries that I've visited. The Office was open when I was visiting and the employees were very pleasant and helpful. During the visit 2 large riding tractors were mowing the grass. The cemetery is well maintained. And don't feel Lakeside Cemetery should be on the "ENDANGERED CEMETERY REPORT".

I have answer the letter as follows:

The oldest part of the cemetery seems to be neglected, [If the referred is to Section 1 - 2 [I believe this is the oldest.], the grounds are mowed and the area around the stones trimmed. as is the rest of the cemetery.] with stones decaying, [I found normal aging of stones.] tipped and ready to fall, [A few stones are tipped over and some foundations are settled at an angle, other are aged.] stones broken and left, [I walked along the road, and didn't notice broken stones, they may have been on the inside of the sections.] ground sagging and stones [The land has some low spots and some of the flat stones have settled in the ground] are being covered with dirt and debris. [Flat stones were covered with a thin layer of dried mud, and some grass cutting on others..] Stones leaning on one another, [ In Area B1, I noticed that the stone seemed to be leaning in each other, but on closer inspection, the stone are back to back.] pieces left laying around and not repaired. [In the cemetery where my Mother is buried, the stones are the responsibility of the owner, not the cemetery's.]

Kathy Kopp
Erie County Cemeteries
http://members.tripod.com/~wnyroots

Corrected Information on Lakeside Cemetery:

Cemetery Name: Lakeside/Forest Lawn Cemetery

Street: Mailing: 4973 Rogers Rd., Hamburg, NY 14075

Visitation Address: 4810 Camp Rd., Hamburg, NY

Telephone: (716)649-5507

e-mail address: lakeside@forest-lawn.com

Land Type: Private, open to the public during open hours.

Status: Active

Number of Graves: 16,500 (as of May 2000)

Oldest Grave: 1896

Records: Yes

Inventory: Cemetery records are stored on-site. Burial locations available per personal visit, phone call, by office personnel only. Genealogical information available per written request; fee associated with this request.

Owner: The Buffalo City Cemetery (aka Forest Lawn Cemetery), 1411 Delaware Ave., Buffalo, NY 14209 (Erie County)

Contact: Joseph P. Dispenza, Vice President

Address: Forest Lawn/ Lakeside Cemetery, 1411 Delaware Ave., Buffalo, NY 14209

Telephone: (716)885-1600

Location: This cemetery has been in operation since 1896 and is non-sectarian. The facilities include a chapel and mausoleum. Cemetery is open 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Summer hours) for visitation; office hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Cemetery records are stored on-site in office.

The information on this website is provided as a public service, but Saving Graves cannot guarantee that the information is current or accurate. Readers should make every attempt to verify the information before acting on it.

Please be aware that in publishing an Endangered Cemetery Report, Saving Graves in no way accepts responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained within that report, and takes no position of either agreeing or disagreeing with the information presented within the report. The information is presented as the personal opinion of the report submitter only. The naming of a cemetery as "Endangered" may not necessarily reflect the overall or general conditions of a specific cemetery as presented in an Endangered Cemetery Report. Saving Graves recognizes that because the information presented within a specific Endangered Cemetery Report is only a personal opinion, there may likely be dissenting opinions presented. In such cases, Saving Graves will (with the permission of the person submitting said differing opinion) take steps to add that opinion to the specific Endangered Cemetery Report in the form of an update, and encourages all readers and submitters to consider all points of view presented.