Pioneer Cemetery
Why it's listed
Pioneer Cemetery, on Main Street beside the Susquehanna River in Sidney, New York, was the village's first burial ground and served all residents regardless of denomination until the late nineteenth century. The first recorded burial dates to 1787 and the last to 1890. Of roughly 275 recorded burials, 241 markers survive, arranged in thirteen rows within a rectangular plot. A 1935 bridge project took several acres and required moving some graves, and bluestone gateposts were added in 1937. The cemetery holds the graves of most of the village's settlement families, including the Johnston, Smith, Avery, Hovey, Rogers and Baxter families, and nine Revolutionary War veterans. Many marble and slate stones carry willow, urn and foliate motifs, and several are attributed to regional carvers such as Jonas W. Stewart, known as the coffin man, Joseph Crandall and Asa Baldwin. It was listed for its role in documenting early settlement and for the artistic quality of its carved markers.
Significance in brief: The cemetery documents the settlement and early growth of Sidney, and is the resting place of nearly all of the village's settlement families and nine Revolutionary War veterans. It is also significant in art for its many finely carved gravestones, including work by well-known regional carvers such as J.W. Stewart, Joseph Crandall and Asa Baldwin.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 07000754, listed July 24, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Main St., Sidney |
|---|---|
| County | Delaware County |
| Listed | July 24, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07000754 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1787-1890 |
| Architect / builder | J.W. Stewart, Joseph Crandall, Asa Baldwin, stone carvers |
| Architectural style | no style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Art |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the town of Sidney; entrance gateposts were built in 1937 and part of the cemetery was lost to a 1935 bridge approach. The last burial took place in 1890. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.31635, -75.39379 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 07000754.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7196658
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.