Williamsville Cemetery

The OES visited Williamsville Cemetery on July 30, 2003. Located in Delaware County just off US Route 23, Williamsville Cemetery also contains Patterson Cemetery (also known as McCloud Cemetery). The original Patterson Cemetery was dug up in 1970 when Alum Creek was dammed and moved to Williamsville Cemetery. The section where the Patterson sign is located is where the transplanted graves are located. The original Patterson was founded in 1834 while Williamsville Cemetery may have been established around 1836. The oldest tombstone in the combined cemetery that we could find at the time of our visit belonged to Thomas Patterson. He died on March 13, 1835. There were several veterans buried here who had served in the Civil War, along with veterans of later conflicts. A couple of markers simply stated “Unknown,” which are most likely transplants from Patterson Cemetery whose original markers were not found or illegible. The majority of the tombstones were in good shape, but there were plenty that were damaged either by weather or vandalism. During our visits to the cemetery, several OES members heard unexplainable footsteps in the wooded area that was located at the rear of the cemetery. The footsteps were heard both during the day trips and a night trip. There are no known hauntings in the area. New development started to move into the area surrounding the cemetery in 2008. New roads were laid out in a way to avoid the cemetery. A fence was erected and a parking lot installed. For now, it seems the cemetery is safe from being relocated yet again.

Location Information: Inactive Cemetery [Safe]

Williamsville Cemetery is off US Route 23 at the intersection with Hidden Ravines Drive; Delaware County.

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