Location
- Within
Forest
Lawn Cemetery,
Buffalo,
Erie County, New York.
Maps -
Google
map,
Windows Live (Bird's eye),
Multi (topo) GPS/Locations Falls: N 42.92424 / W 78.85795 Directions -Forest Lawn Cemetery is located
in downtown Buffalo near 198 at the Delaware Ave exit (384).
There is an entrance on the corner of Delaware and Delavan
Avenues and another on Main St. just past Delavan Ave. Serenity
Falls is closer to the Main St. entrance.
Once through the Main St. entrance arch turn right. You'll
drive over a bridge (crossing Scajaquada Creek). Make the first left (at
the mausoleum). You'll pass another road on your right.
Halfway between this intersection and the next is where you
will want to pull over. This is "Section 20" of the
cemetery. You should be able to hear the waterfall to the
south.
Or use
Google Maps
(Google Maps will get you to the right entrance, but does
not cover the cemetery roads).
Information
Number of falls:
1 Size/Types: A long series of small slopes and ledges
totaling no more than 15 feet. It's nothing special. Best time to visit: Spring through fall. Flow: Moderate.
Waterway: Scajaquada Creek Time: A few minutes.
Accessibility Seasons/Hours:
Year-round. The hours change depending on the season. April through October: 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. via Delaware Avenue gate, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. via 2 Main Street gates Once Daylight Savings Time begins, the cemetery closes
earlier, but these times are not set in stone. Call
716.885.1600 for exact hours.
Parking: Parking spots are scarce at this
cemetery. You can park at the entrances and some roads are
wider than others. If you aren't going to walk around the
cemetery, park on the side of the road next to the falls. Do
not park or ride on the grass. Admission: Cemetery admission is free. Handicap accessibility: No. Pets: Pets not allowed. Accommodations: Cemetery office (at the Delaware Ave.
entrance), tours (see
schedule), several businesses in the vicinity.
Description... Forest Lawn is more than just a cemetery.
It also serves as a park, arboretum, and outdoor museum for
the thousands of visitors who pass through each
year. Within a small valley surrounding Scajaquada Creek,
this peaceful setting houses over 152,000 permanent
residents in seclusion from the surrounding city of Buffalo.
Numerous mausoleums
and large monuments are scattered amongst the common graves
and are as visually fascinating as they are historic. The
Blue Sky Mausoleum in particular, was designed by
visionary architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The cemetery gates
and Birge and Blocher memorials, among countless others, are
crafted in intricate detail and add plenty of character to
the surroundings. Not only are the structures themselves
interesting, but their arrangement throughout the cemetery
is quite unique in its own right. It almost has to be
seen from above to be fully appreciated. Rows of
monuments twist and turn with the landscape and pathways.
Arrangements complement the landscape perfectly, as if
painted in by an artist.
The cemetery also
serves as an arboretum of sorts, with abundant tree and bush
species on the grounds. The trees make this a great stop for
migrating birds passing over Buffalo. With over 240 species
of birds having been spotted in the cemetery, it's not
uncommon to find folks walking through the cemetery with
binoculars in hand.
Serenity Falls is
located on Scajaquada Creek in the southeast corner of the
cemetery, where it pours over the Onondaga escarpment.
Unlike the surrounding grounds the creek here is filled with
soda bottles, plastic bits, paper, and other forms of junk.
It almost looks like an environmental disaster. This is no
surprise considering that the creek flows underground
through much of the City of Buffalo before it passes through
here. When we visited in the fall, the creek reeked of
sewage and the turbidity was high. The falls themselves are
nothing special; just several ledges and slopes that mix and
shuffle the water enough for it to be considered a
waterfall. It is not easy to view the whole falls even from
the bridge just downstream. One must scramble down the
embankment to get to the creek bed next to the falls for a
peek. Once down there, the piled up trash and smell is quite
a distraction from what little potential the falls has to
begin with. Despite its problems, this is the only natural
waterfall in Buffalo and is worthy of being noted.
Trails Difficulty: Moderate
Although this waterfall is just feet away from the road, in
order to get to the stream bed for a closer look, one has to
scramble down a wooded embankment. Be careful; it is often
muddy. Once you descend to the creek bed along the falls,
you can't walk much further. Markings: none. Distance:
30-40 feet from the cemetery road. Maps: Cemetery maps are available in the Office near
Delaware Ave. A
field guide can be purchased at the office or
by phone.
History... As the Erie Canal brought unprecedented
business and growth to Buffalo, the need arose for a large
formal cemetery. In 1849 Charles E. Clarke, a Buffalo
attorney, purchased 80 acres of land a few miles north of
the city. Clarke hoped to build a cemetery in the vein of
the beautiful
Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. His vision was to
create a cemetery not just to house the dead, but for the
living as well. The cemetery would have to integrate
seamlessly with nature and to allow visitors to walk the
grounds to admire the art and the romance of the setting.
This was to be a cemetery to accommodate burials and to
serve as a museum and work of art for the people of Buffalo.
The subtle valley surrounding Scajaquada Creek, with its
fertile land, spring-fed ponds, and seclusion from downtown
Buffalo was an ideal setting.
The first burial, for John Jay, Jr. took
place on July 12, 1850.
A few years after the cemetery was built,
Clarke began commissioning art work to display in the
cemetery, beginning with a sculpture of renowned Seneca
chief and orator
Red Jacket. Several other sculptures followed in
subsequent years and were erected throughout the cemetery,
helping to grow it as an outdoor museum. Mausoleums by
notable artists such as
Harriet Frishmuth and Nicola Cantalamessa blend art with
memorial, creating eerily beautiful sights throughout the
grounds.
Today the 269 acre cemetery is encapsulated by the
city of Buffalo, but still maintains the tranquility and
beauty that Charles E. Clarke envisioned.
Do not miss... Tours of the cemetery run during
the summer months. It is one of the best ways to learn about
the history of the cemetery and get all the interesting
facts and ghost stories about its residents.
Scajaquada Creek runs a total of 13 miles with a
watershed of approximately 29 square miles. While it passes
through Buffalo it is diverted through underground culverts,
with the exception of Forrest Lawn Cemetery.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Blue Sky Mausoleum
can be found in the south end of the cemetery between the
two entrances. It was designed by Wright in 1928 as part of
a commission for Darwin D. Martin, but was not completed
until 2004 by one-time apprentice of Wright's, Anthony
Putnam. The mausoleum's bold stairway leads to a large stone
monolith overlooking two small spring-fed ponds. It is
certainly one of the most unique resting places in the
cemetery, and definitely one coveted by many architects.
There are 24 crypts available.
http://blueskymausoleum.com
Photography Tips ▪ You'll have to scramble down
the embankment to get to a spot from where you can
photograph the falls. Make sure to protect your gear.
▪ The interesting landscaping, various ponds, and
numerous monuments in the cemetery
offer several photo opportunities.
▪ Bring your telephoto lens, over 240 species of birds have
been spotted here.
▪ See the Articles section
for more waterfall photography tips.
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