The skull of a victim of the 1690 Schenectady Massacre, long held by Union College's archival department, will be interred at Vale Cemetery this spring. A special ceremony will be held; please watch for details on our social media.
Times Union: Grondahl: She died brutally in 1690. Now, Schenectady Massacre victim will be buried.
The Festival of Trees at the Schenectady County Historical Society is now open through December 27. Be sure to stop by and see the dozens of beautifully decorated trees, including Vale's tree.
The Owls of The Vale features three dozen owl-themed ornaments and was inspired by the carved owls that watch over the gates at Vale's original entrance on Nott Terrace.
This Giving Tuesday, please make a year-end donation to support our Cemetery through Vale Cemetery Preservation, Inc..
Your donation will help us to continue to undertake vital restoration projects, offer tours, host special community events like Juneteenth, organize volunteer efforts such as the statewide Caring For Your Cemeteries Day, and to safeguard and promote Schenectady’s historic rural cemetery.
The Fall 2025 issue of our newsletter, The Voice of Vale Cemetery, is now available. This issue includes a recap of the 2025 tours and events season, a message from our board president, a history of Vale's Grand Army of The Republoc plot and its future restoration, and a first hand account of the reinterment of the cast iron coffin recently discovered at a construction site.
The Voice of The Vale (pdf)
The Owls of The Vale @ The Festival of Trees @ Schenectady County Historical Society
Vale will be celebrating the holidays with our friends at SCHS at this year’s Festival of Trees!
Historic remains were reburied at Vale on October 27, 2025 after being discovered at a construction site on Schenectady's Westover Place. The remains of a woman were enclosed in a cast iron coffin known as a Fisk Metallic Burial Case and likely dates to the 1850s. Below is some of the local news coverage of the discovery and reinterment.
The Daily Gazette
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 Cemetery Preservation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and tax-deductible organization.
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