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Oakwood Cemetery offers a glimpse into the past

Raising the histor y of the dead

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Niagara Falls’ Oakwood Cemetery offers a glimpse into the past

BY RICK PFEIFFER RICK.PFEIFFER @NIAGARA-GAZETTE.COM

Interested in learning about several of the famous daredevils that tried to brave Niagara Falls? Oakwood Cemetery and its ever-popular Daredevils of the Falls Tour is the place to visit.

“Th at’s the tour that we pitch to tourists,” Oakwood’s Director of Operations Tim Baxter said. “We have some of the biggest daredevils buried here, like Annie Edson Taylor.”

But like almost every destination in the Falls, Oakwood Cemetery was hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were just starting to gain momentum (as a tourism option) before the pandemic,” Baxter said. “We’re hoping to get back in the game this summer and begin off ering our tours again.”

And Baxter said the cemetery is looking to broaden the types of tours it off ers this tourist season. Th e more tourists have a choice, the more likely they are to check Tim Baxter, director of operations at the Oakwood Cemetery Association, shows off a walking tour tourists can use to visit the famous residents at the Niagara Falls cemetery. Oakwood out.

“We’ve talked about expanding our programs,” he said. “A lot of people don’t know who’s (buried) here. We tell them, ‘Niagara’s history is at Oakwood.’ “

Tours can be booked at regularly scheduled times or even on-demand. Every other Sunday, at 11 a.m., Oakwood conducts a regular walking tour of the cemetery grounds.

Th e one-hour walk lets visitors hear behind-the-scenes stories of some of Niagara’s most famous daredevils and other prominent residents while visiting their fi nal resting places.

New this summer will be what Baxter called the “What’s In A (Street) Name” tour.

“A lot of people don’t know that the streets in the city are named for real people,” Baxter said.

Folks will hear about Charles Hyde (Hyde Park Boulevard), John B. Bollier (Bollier Avenue), Alfred Chapin (Chapin Avenue) Asher T, Cudaback (Cudaback

Raising the histor y of the dead

Annie Edson Taylor was a schoolteacher who became the fi rst person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Her gravesite is among the daredevil stops along the walking tour at Oakwood Cemetery.

Oakwood Cemetery grave site of Anne Edson Taylor. The cemetery has been put on the National Register of Historic Places.

Avenue), among others.

If you’re wondering how local schools like (Charles B) Gaskill and (James) Trott got their names, there’s a tour for that as well.

Also new in 2022 will be a tour that focuses on some of Oakwood’s inhabitants who arrived under very unusual circumstances. For example, the Pavloff family, a mother and six children who all died at the same time when they were hit by a train.

“We’ll explore some of the odd history with that,” Baxter said. “Along with our ‘Last Call Happy Hour Tour’ which will partner with Wine on Th ird for.”

If you’re interested in booking a tour, all you need to do is go to Oakwood’s web site and click on the Book a Tour button.

Baxter said you don’t need to book a tour to enjoy a visit to Oakwood. Just a walk around the grounds can be a great way to spend your day.

“It’s 18 acres, right in downtown, with a 1.7 mile outside road,” he said. “It’s a nice walk and in the fall, it’s spectacular.”

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