Lake View Cemetery Recap

On Saturday, September 24th, a group of 22 individuals joined CCNEO for a private tour of Lake View Cemetery. Marjorie Wilson '60 was our informative, energetic docent. The tour went extremely well; the weather was beautiful and the stories were fascinating.

Marge shares the story of Oliver Hazard Payne

Marjorie enlightened us about a number of the cemetery's residents, including those with a Cornell connection. For example, Oliver Hazard Payne (1839-1917), a native Clevelander, was a multi-millionaire who donated (anonymously at the time) $6 million to establish Cornell Medical School. Although not affiliated with Cornell, Marjorie also pointed out the gravestones of Elliot Ness, Alan Freed and John D. Rockefeller. We saw the beauty of Wade Chapel and the gorgeous view of Cleveland from the top of the Garfield Memorial. Jeptha Wade founded Lake View Cemetery with part of his fortune amassed as a founding member of Western Union Telegraph a name taken after a merge with Ezra Cornell's New York & Western Union Telegraph Company.

Outside Wade Chapel

A number of the tour attendees had never been to LakeView cemetery before but found it an extremely impressive place. I heard from more than one person that they will be back to explore all that the cemetery has to offer. If you are looking to gain some history while exploring some natural beauty, LakeView Cemetery is the place to be.

Spectacular views from the Garfield Memorial