The Madison County Historical Society announces the opening of the 2009 exhibition, “Madison County Underground: Cemeteries & Gerrit Smith.” On May 31 from 1-3 pm, the Madison County Historical Society will mark the opening of the exhibit by hosting a presentation and book-signing event featuring the authors of Guide to Madison County Cemeteries 2nd Edition and Practical Dreamer.
Cemeteries are outdoor museums that tell the history of an area’s development. Gravestones and monuments provide an opportunity to learn about individuals who have made important contributions to a community. Gerrit Smith was a nationally known abolitionist and philanthropist from Smithfield. Samuel Gage of DeRuyter was the President of the Village of DeRuyter, and Niles Higinbotham of Oneida was President of the Oneida Valley National Bank, a bank he created in his family’s home in 1851. These men are a few of Madison County’s notable residents featured in the exhibition and presentation.
Anita M. Ingalls, Charles E. Page, Sandra B. Wilsey, Charles E. Page III, and Faye PageLackey wrote Guide to Madison County Cemeteries, 2nd Edition. Author and publisher, Anita Ingalls of Florida, provided the inspiration and technical expertise for the creation of the guide. She and Charles E. Page co-edited the first edition of the guide, which was published in 2006. Charles traveled throughout the county identifying cemetery locations, and has written the driving directions featured in the guide. The revised guide with its special interest articles and hundreds of photographs involved the efforts of three additional authors. Charles’ son, Charles E. Page III of Morrisville, located many of the cemeteries indexed in the guide – including 65 within the Town of Brookfield, and gathered GPS readings for all of Madison County’s known cemeteries. Charles’ daughter, Fay Page Lackey of Boonville, designed the title page and assisted her brother with the GPS readings. Sandy Wilsey, a retired Oneida City School District social studies teacher, contributed many photographs and information about some long forgotten burial grounds.
The Madison County Historical Society’s new exhibition and program: “Madison County Underground: Cemeteries and Gerrit Smith” is free of charge and the public is cordially invited to attend. The program will commence at 1 pm with a presentation by Sandra B. Wilsey speaking on behalf of the cemetery guide authors, followed by Norman K. Dann’s discussion about his book on Gerrit Smith. The exhibit room will open at 2 pm. There will be an opportunity to purchase books in the gift shop and request author signatures. Refreshments will be served. For more information call 315-363-4136, or 315-361-9735, or stop by the Madison County Historical Society at 435 Main Street in Oneida.
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