Rehanging a Flag at Graceland Cemetery

"You can't keep me down!" Even with one arm; yesterday my father and I took my brother and his wife from Texas on an ancestral graveyard tour. Sounds like fun! Well it was! Expand your horizons! Hahaha! We stopped at a total of four cemeteries and Graceland Cemetery on Delaware Avenue in Albany was one stop. Graceland is the burial spot for a number of ancestors and other relatives of mine. However we stopped there to check out the Spanish-American War veteran's plot.

My father, a veteran himself, has turned the Spanish War Vet's final resting spot into a project for himself. On his own time and with his own dime he cleaned all of the marble grave stones himself. I believe there are approximately 96 grave stones. Many of these stones are crooked due to the passage of time and the frost uplifting the stones. But the stones are now bright white like you would see at any of the veteran's National Cemeteries.

On  Veteran's Day, Dad stopped by Graceland Cemetery and was disgusted by the way that the flag was flying. It was hanging on by one grommet and appeared to be torn. We took the flag down to inspect it. Fortunately a hook which holds the flag to the hoisting rope was broken. We made a quick repair to the hook (which will need to be replaced) and sent the flag back into the air.

Unknowing to me, my sister-in-law, Ashley, was taking photos and also a video of the action. A short video on this was just made and is below. The aggravating part of this venture was the fact that Dad called the organization that is supposed to maintain the plot and mentioned to them the condition of the flag. Well, ten days passed and the flag was still in the same condition. Sometimes if the right thing needs to be done, you just do it yourself. We felt good afterward!

Albany's Veterans Memorials, part II

This post is a follow up to a February article regarding the numerous Veterans memorials that are spread throughout Albany. An attempt was made to photograph as many of the memorials that I could remember. I am sure that I missed on or two.

As far as I know, the memorial that was on Sheridan Avenue; which is in the center of the urban renewal program there has not been relocated. Shortly after noticing that the former building and flag pole were missing, I discovered that a VFW group was trying to get a hold of the flagpole so that it could be honorably used elsewhere. I assume that they were not successful. Just think about how much that flagpole would bring it in scrap money for a hungry contractor. Or how great it would look on his front lawn or in front of his business offices.

The building that was torn down was a local community project from years past, I am told. Neighbors purchased the land, erected the building, and created the memorial for the neighborhood men who served and died in the Second World War. As time passed the building fell into disrepair. Most of the residents who maintained the property either moved from the neighborhood or died. The property was therefore off the city's tax rolls for many years. City officials must have been salivating at the mouth and waiting to pounce regarding the thought of a land seizure and its resale.

A further follow up will have to be looked into regarding the outcome of the flagpole. Below is a photo montage of memorials spread throughout the city, in no particular order. Descriptions as to what the memorial is and its location are given. Some photos were taken a distance to get the full monument in focus.

Community Park Memorial, Second Avenue & West Van Vechten Street

Spanish-American War Memorial at Graceland Cemetery

Henry Johnson Memorial Park, Henry Johnson Blvd

10th Ward Veterans, Townsend Park

WWII Memorial, 11th Ward, Northern Blvd

Civil War Soldiers & Sailors Monument, Washington Park

Civil War Soldiers & Sailors Monument, Washington Park

Henry Johnson Memorial, Washington Park

Spanish-American War Monument, Townsend Park

WWI Monument, New Scotland Ave & South Lake Ave

Sheehy-Palmer Memorial, Delaware Avenue

NYS Purple Heart Memorial, ESP

NYS Korean War Memorial, ESP

NYS Women's Veteran's Memorial, ESP

                                             WWII Memorial, ESP

Albany's Veteran's Memorials

When Spring and warmer weather finally get here a blog post will be posted on the many Veteran's Memorials located throughout Albany.  It's just too cold to drive to and photograph the monuments. The idea for this upcoming post was put together after a surprising drive down Sheridan Avenue in Arbor Hill last week.

There is a lot of construction going on in that area.  Lower Sheridan Avenue previously named Canal Street was an Irish slum neighborhood known as Gander Bay.  Most of the homes in that area have been long torn down including number 172 Sheridan Avenue where my great great grandparents, Michael J. Gannon and his wife Anne Cummins Gannon lived and raised a family.  Their home was located where the New York State steam plant is now.  The homes that were left were very dilapidated.

The level of construction going on there did not surprise me.  The area definitely needs rehabilitation. What did irk me was the fact that a veteran's memorial, building, and flag pole dedicated to those from that neighborhood who served and died in World War II was completely torn down.  There was no remnant left. Everything was gone.

When I got home I contacted a couple of Veterans of Foreign War posts and they were aware of this. One person who I spoke with mentioned that the building had seen better days and was in rough shape.  I do not know how bad it was but I am assuming that it could have been saved with a little effort.  Also I was told that one of the construction contractors wanted to take the flag pole that was located on the site for his own personal use.

I may be off course but I do not know how Albany's officials could let this happen.  Shame on them!