{"nrhp_refnum":"02001113","name":"Garrison Cemetery","other_names":["War of 1812 Cemetery"],"category":"site","location":{"address":"Aero Dr.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cheektowaga","county":"Erie County","state":"NY","lat":42.946940303000076,"lon":-78.73039084799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-10-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small military cemetery of 0.319 acres on the south side of Aero Drive in Cheektowaga, Erie County, New York, also known as the War of 1812 Cemetery. It contains mass graves from the 1814-1815 period, along with commemorative features added later.","why_significant":"The nomination argues significance under Criterion A for its link to the 1814-1815 Niagara Frontier Campaign of the War of 1812 and to the General Military Hospital established at Williamsville in August 1814. It is described as one of the very few remaining historic sites tied to the Niagara Campaign. Under Criterion D, a 2001 geophysical survey identified two large communal grave areas that likely hold many hundreds of individuals.","narrative":"Garrison Cemetery is a five-sided, 0.319-acre burial ground on Aero Drive in Cheektowaga, New York, enclosed by a wood rail fence and bordered by airport and service property. A cannon on a concrete platform, flagpoles, commemorative flower beds and small white crosses mark the site. It is the burial place of soldiers who died at the military hospital established at Williamsville in August 1814, when American forces on the Niagara Frontier gathered their sick and wounded there after the battles of Chippewa, Lundy's Lane and Fort Erie. A 2001 survey using electromagnetic and ground penetrating radar detected two large disturbed areas interpreted as communal graves, probably holding many hundreds of people. The cemetery was listed for its connection to the War of 1812 Niagara Campaign and for its potential to yield historical information. The Town of Cheektowaga acquired it in 1985 from the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society and maintains it, holding annual tribute ceremonies.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1814-ca. 1815","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","D"],"status_note":"Listed as an inactive cemetery; the Town of Cheektowaga acquired it in 1985 and its Town Board maintains it and holds annual ceremonies.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.64444-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/02001113.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001113/ceddf875a1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001113/ceddf875a1-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Shinerunner","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Garrison_Cemetery_1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Shinerunner</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Garrison_Cemetery_1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317623","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrison_Cemetery_(Cheektowaga,_New_York)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5524026"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/erie-county/garrison-cemetery-02001113/"}