Vale Cemetery Association will hold its 2025 Lot Owners Meeting at 5:00 p.m. on November 17 at 907 State Street. If you are a current lot owner, please plan to attend. Also, if you are a descendent of a family owning an older plot here, you also have a vested interest in Vale's future and are welcome to attend.
Remains discovered in an iron coffin at the site of a former burial ground on Westover Street in Schenectady will be interred at Vale. ABC10 sent a news crew to Vale on October 21 and spoke with John Gearing and Paula Lemire for some insight on this and other relocated burials.
You can view the segment here.
Many people have asked when the goats will be at The Dell, Vale's natural burial area. Unfortunately, due to illness in the herd and other factors, our goat helpers will not be here this year.
After the loss of the large willow near our State Street gate, we now have two Shagbark Hickory trees planted on the east side of the gate. They were provided by ReTree Schenectady and planted by a dedicated group of volunteers from Community Fathers, Inc..
Vale will be holding the following tours in August and September:August 7 - Giants of Industry: Join Chris Hunter for a tour highlighting the industrial history of Schenectady at Vale - from Steinmetz to Westinghouse and Ellis. Chris Hunter is the president of miSci, the Museum of Innovation and Science, where he oversees a large collection and archives relating to the history of General Electric, electricity and electronics. He has curated more than two dozen exhibitions about the history of technology.$10 per person, children under 12 are free. Meet at the Cemetery office at 907 State Street. A shuttle will be provided.August 24 - The Historic Landscape of Vale Cemetery - Paula Lemire will lead an "off the beaten path" tour for the Albany Cemetery Walks Meetup Group. This tour is fully booked, but there will be a repeat day for the general public; watch our Facebook page for the date!
September 7 - Schenectady & The Civil War: Jeff Austin will lead a tour of graves of Schenectady residents who served in the Civil War. Jeff is a well-known volunteer at Vale who has assisted with transcribing records and often cleans headstone with a special focus on the graves of soldiers. More details will be added as we get closer to the date. Tours are $10 per person, children under 12 free.
The venerable willow tree that stood for many years just inside the State Street gate came down during a storm overnight on Saturday, July 12. The damage was minimal, but it's sad to lose part of the Cemetery's horticultural landscape.
Vale Cemetery Preservation Inc. is honored to be a 2025 recipient of a 2025 Arts & Culture Development grant from Schenectady County. Such grants assist us in bringing tours and other events to the community and to helping Vale preserve its history and heritage.
A sincere thank you to Schenectady County and congratulations to this year's other awardees.
Vale needs you! We're seeking volunteers to help with a variety of projects this season. If you'd like to join us for clean-up days, planting geraniums or placing flags on graves for Memorial Day, or any other tasks, please let us know. Send us an email at vale@valecemetery.org and we'll add you to our volunteer list.
Vale Cemetery is now on Instagram.
Please follow us @valecemetery
On May 4, Vale participated in the statewide Caring For Your Cemetery volunteer day, an initiative from the Division of Cemeteries. Thank you to all of the volunteers who came out to help us get the Cemetery ready for Memorial Day.
Check out photos from the event here.
Vale Cemetery Preservation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and tax-deductible organization.
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