Terri Page was the tour conductor and
she was excellent. Spent about two hours and fifteen
minutes with us in the chapel and going around to
some selected graves in the cemetery.
Prior to entering
the chapel Terri gave us an overview of
Troy's manufacturing
history and how it relied on the river
and the streams
for power. Troy was one of the richest
cities in the country. Of course our group
with it's genealogy bent knew all the right
answers as to the products made in Troy
from bells, to stoves, to collars and cuffs,
to horse shoes, etc.
As we entered
the chapel,
Terri put out the lights so we could experience
the Tiffany windows with the sun streaming
through. I have seen Tiffany windows before
in St. Joseph's Church, the Troy Library,
etc., but these were the most beautiful
ones I have ever seen. Terri explained
the various
types of glass in the windows and the various
techniques
used to get special effects.
The hand carved
wood
ceilings and trim and pews were from oak
and are the originals. The marble in various
colors came from
all over the world. A large block of onyx
was purchased
in London and that is what the various
columns were
cut from.
William S.
Earl, married Hannah
M. Gardner,
the boss's daughter and with their collar
and cuff's
business became very wealthy. Gardner Earl,
was their
only child and apparently he was sickly
from birth.
On the grand tour of Europe he became interested
in cremation and he had a document prepared
requesting
cremation when he died. His parents complied
with
his wishes when he died at about age 37
and he was
cremated in Buffalo, NY.
Since Gardner
was an only
child, William and Hannah wanted to build
a crematorium
in his memory and money was no object.
At some point
Terri felt that the family was embarrassed
at the
cost of the chapel and all documents relating
to its construction were destroyed. They
are no original
records left detailing costs, artists,
etc. The stone
work was done by Adam Ross Cut Stone which
is still
in business in Albany today. They have
on loan from
the Adam Ross firm a hand caved scale model
of the
chapel as it was originally built.
High
on the front
of the building is a large carved stone
gargoyle which fell to the ground on its
first two attempts at raising with ropes.
The third attempt was successful and the
gargoyle was affixed in place. Apparently
the two falls did not damage the stone
carving.
After touring
the chapel we drove
to several locations in the cemetery. Saw
one monument which was a colossal Celtic
cross. Also the chapel of the Warren family
which was one of the famous stove manufacturers
in Troy. About 80 family members are buried
under the floor of the chapel. We had a
wonderful view of Troy and the mountains
in the distance from the escarpment where
Terri gave us a history lesson on American
Revolution and Civil War events as they
played out in our panoramic view of the
city and it's environs. Professional photographers
have taken pictures of this view and a
large display
will be set on this prospect and it will
identify
the various buildings that can be seen.
The sad part
of our tour was the fact that Oakwood Cemetery
is
so under funded. Major work is needed on
the chapel
to repair extensive water damage due to
the failure
of the roof is some parts.
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