Wildwood Cemetery and Mary Lyon Fisher Memorial Chapel
Why it's listed
Wildwood Cemetery and the Mary Lyon Fisher Memorial Chapel occupy 37 acres along River Road south of Lyons Falls, New York. The cemetery was incorporated in 1906 on land donated by the heirs of Lyman R. Lyon, and it holds 736 burials laid out in regular rows on open lawns. It follows the early twentieth century lawn park model, with uniform monuments, formal roads and a limestone entrance wall with iron gates. The Lyon family plot sits on the highest ground, marked by a white marble obelisk. The chapel was built in 1921 by Mary Lyon Fisher's children in her memory. Designed by the Utica firm Gouge & Ames, it is a small limestone building with buttresses, pointed windows with amber glass, and a vaulted interior ceiling, along with Arts and Crafts details. Its basement crypt still serves for winter storage of remains. A boulder plaque from 1951 marks where Caleb Lyon died in 1835. Together the resources reflect the Lyon family's influence on the region.
Significance in brief: The chapel is a late Gothic Revival work with Arts and Crafts touches, designed by the Utica firm Gouge & Ames. It is also tied to the philanthropy of the Lyon family, the region's leading landholders and mill owners. The cemetery is an early twentieth century example of the lawn park type and was a village-wide effort to create a formal burial ground for Lyons Falls.
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 11000403, listed June 28, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | River Rd., Lyons Falls |
|---|---|
| County | Lewis County |
| Listed | June 28, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000403 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1906-1961 |
| Architect / builder | Gouge & Ames (architect); W.H. Rich & Sons (builder): Chapel; Cemetery: Unknown |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Late Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History, Landscape Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The cemetery remains in use. The chapel basement is still used as a crypt for winter storage of remains, and the original 1921 folding chairs are kept there. |
| Acreage | 37 |
| Coordinates | 43.60767, -75.34497 (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 11000403.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q22919978
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.