Cemetery earns place on national list

BY PAT PASTERNAK
STAFF WRITER

This week, St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands is celebrating history -- its own.

The circa-1867 cemetery has become "the first Catholic cemetery in the State of New York to be listed on the National Register [of Historic Places]. This is an honor," said Molly Nicol, director of development for the cemetery.

A special ceremony June 26 is celebrating that honor. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is presenting the cemetery with a certificate and bronze plaque with Sen. Neil Breslin and Assemblymen Robert Reilly and Jack McEneny in attendance.

Also attending are officials from the towns of Colonie and Menands and local author Dominick Lizzi, who wrote "Gov. Martin H. Glynn: Forgotten Hero, New York State 's first Catholic governor (see www.evangelist.org for a story on the book). Gov. Glynn is buried in the cemetery.

Pulitzer-prize-winning author William Kennedy, a resident of Averill Park , described St. Agnes Cemetery in his 1983 novel "Ironweed."

He told The Evangelist that the rich history of the cemetery is one of the reasons he included it in the opening chapter of his book.

"There's a lot of history there. I wanted to use the historical element of the cemetery to connect the character of Francis Phelan to his past," Mr. Kennedy said, referring to the main character's visit to St. Agnes Cemetery , recalling each of his family members as he passes their graves.

The 141-year old cemetery is listed in the National Register for a number of reasons, according to Ms. Nicol.

"It exemplifies the rural cemetery movement of the mid- to late-19th century, landscaped with winding paths, magnificent vistas, beautiful sculptures and historic monuments," she said.

Historians also value the cemetery's catalogue of funerary monuments that reflect distinctly Catholic beliefs about death and resurrection.

In addition to being representative of the lives of the city fathers, St. Agnes also holds the remains of many immigrants and local Catholic residents from the 19th and 20th centuries, including several Civil War medal recipients.

"Those that are buried here represent a wide socioeconomic group of Albany Roman Catholics that helped to shape the history and development of this city," said Ms. Nicol.

(St. Agnes' staff conducts guided tours of the cemetery's historic sites during the summer. For the 2008 schedule, call the cemetery office at 463-0134.)

Famous faces at St. Agnes

Several U.S. Congressmen who were natives of the Albany Diocese are buried in St. Agnes Cemetery :

* Charles Tracey was a representative from New York from 1887-1895. Born in Albany , he graduated from the Albany Academy and served for three years in the Papal Zouaves in Rome , the French Army infantry corps that served and defended Pope Pius IX during the Franco-Prussian War.

Upon his return to the Capital District, he managed the House of Refuge in Hudson , appointed by then-Gov. Grover Cleveland . He served in Congress and, after retirement, returned to his distilling business. He died at Watkins Glen in 1905.

* Nicholas Kane's grave is marked by a large monument with a bust of him engraved on it. Congressman Kane's family immigrated to the U.S. when he was a child. He enlisted in the Union Army in 1863 and later engaged in mercantile pursuits.

He represented Watervliet for several years on the Albany County Board of Supervisors. He served in Congress and died in Albany in 1887.

* Michael Nolan, born in 1883, attended Albany public schools and studied law but never completed a degree. He joined the California gold rush and, while there, was employed on the street railway system of San Francisco .

When he returned to Albany , he went into business as a brewer and later became director of the National Savings Bank of Albany , the city's fire commissioner and from 1878 to 1883, served as Mayor of Albany and was a member of Congress. (PP)

(06/26/08)