New York, Saint Lawrence County, PotsdamPlaced on the National Register of Historic Places as a fine example of rural cemetery landscape and architecture.
Visitors welcome, but enter at your own risk. Open during daylight hours. This is an active burial ground: please show respect on premises.
For further information: Glenn Collins, Sexton Office behind gatehouse 315/265-3790.
SYMBOLS IN THE STONES
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, tombstones tended to threaten or moralize. In the nineteenth century, especially the Victorian era, tombstones emphasized rebirth, salvation, eternal life, and connection to the living mourners.
Here are a few examples in Bayside Cemetery, from the early 19th century to the present.
angels weeping, watching, praying = tended in heaven
finger pionting up = loved one is in heaven, look there for him or her
broken column = deceased cut down in prime
wheat sheaf = gathering the deceased as harvest to the next world
mourning female = sorrow, grief personified
obelisk = from earth to rebirth in heaven
cherub = in the company of angels
damaged urn or column = immortal but we mourn
weeping willow = sorrow on earth
lamb - innocence, usually child
clasped hands = goodbye at death
book = deceased was teacher or minister. Bible = look here for the answer
(Cemeteries & Burial Sites) Includes location, directions, 5 photos, GPS coordinates, map.