Ferncliff Cemetery

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Secor Road at Ferncliff Cemetery
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Secor Road at Ferncliff Cemetery

Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum is located on Secor Road in the hamlet of Hartsdale, town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, about 25 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. It was founded in 1903, and is non-sectarian. Ferncliff has three beautiful community mausoleums, a crematory, a small chapel, and a main office located in the rear of the main building. The Ferncliff Mausoleum, aka "The Cathedral of Memories," is the cemetery's oldest mausoleum and was constructed in 1928. It has classic architecture, but the corridors are dark without glass panes to admit natural light. Judy Garland, Ed Sullivan, and Joan Crawford are three of the most famous interments in the main mausoleum.

The Shrine of Memories is Ferncliff's second mausoleum and was constructed in 1959. "Shrine of Memories" is a more contemporary structure than "Ferncliff Mausoleum." It has many panes of glass to admit natural light, and there is a large frieze of Christopher Columbus in the main hall of the building. Basil Rathbone is one of the most famous interments in "Shrine of Memories."

Rosewood is Ferncliff's most recently completed community mausoleum, having been constructed in 1999. Rosewood is the ultimate mausoleum for sheer beauty, contemporary design, and the natural decor of sunlight passing through glass panes. Aaliyah is the most famous interment in Rosewood.

It is interesting to note that Ferncliff Cemetery has the only crematory in Westchester County, New York, and performs approximately 10% of the cremations in New York State. Due to local ordinances, no additional crematories can be constructed in Westchester County.

Ferncliff has a very small chapel that can be setup for any kind of religious service. The chapel, main office, and cremation ovens are all located in the rear of the main building.

Ferncliff Cemetery is world famous for its three community mausoleums, but the cemetery is also known for its in-ground burials in sections located in front of the mausoleums. Ferncliff is one of the very few cemeteries that does not permit upright headstones in its outdoor plots. All outdoor grave markers are flush with the ground. This feature facilitates maintenance of the cemetery grounds.

One of the most desireable and pleasant aspects of Ferncliff is the fact that the cemetery is located in a very quiet and serene residential neighborhood. Secor Road is an east-west thoroughfare of light residential traffic. There are no commerical buildings, malls, stores or commercial traffic in the neighborhood. This feature is very unusual for lower Westchester County, and Ferncliff Cemetery is located in the ideal place for people who desire quiet meditation when they visit the final resting places of their loved ones.

Ferncliff Cemetery is a non-profit, non-sectarian facility that is a very desireable final resting place for people from all walks of life.

Notable interments, burials, and cremations include:

The main Ferncliff Mausoleum
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The main Ferncliff Mausoleum
  • Barthelmess, Richard Semler (1895-1963) Actor
  • Bartók, Béla (1881-1945) Composer, Pianist, Scholar (remains moved in 1988 to Farkasreti Cemetery in Budapest, Hungary)
  • Beard, Charles (1874-1948) Educator, Historian
  • Beard, Mary (1867-1958) Historian
  • Billingsley, Sherman (1900-1966) Nightclub owner ("Stork Club"), Ex-bootlegger
  • Biow, Milton (1892-1976) Advertising Genius
  • Bloch, Ray (1902-1982) Musician, Songwriter
  • Booth, Ballington (1857-1940) Social Reformer "Volunteers of America"
  • Booth, Maud Charlesworth (1865-1948) Co-founder of Volunteers of America
  • Bordoni, Irene (1895-1953), singer, Broadway actress
  • Boswell-Leedy, Connee (1907-1976) Singer
  • Browning, Frances Heenan "Peaches" (1910-1956) Actress
The main gates at Ferncliff
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The main gates at Ferncliff

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[edit] External links

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