Shepard Settlement Cemetery
Why it's listed
Shepard Settlement Cemetery is a flat, 2.56-acre burial ground at the corner of Stump and Foster roads in the northeast corner of the town of Skaneateles, Onondaga County. It has been at this location since about 1823 and is divided into four sections, including a paupers' area in the southeast corner. It holds roughly 500 burials and remains active. The graves include that of John Shepard, who settled the area in 1794 and gave the hamlet its name, and at least 25 veterans of wars from the Revolutionary War onward. Early stones of schist and marble carry weeping willows, urns, an anchor, open bibles, a lamb, and an unusual downward-pointing hand on a twelve-year-old girl's grave. Later nineteenth-century markers include obelisks, though most are simple and low. The hamlet itself declined as larger villages grew and farmers moved west, leaving the cemetery as the main surviving trace of the settlement. It was listed for its role in community history and its funerary art.
Significance in brief: The nomination finds it significant under Criterion A as a settlement-period cemetery and the only surviving remnant bearing the name of a once notable hamlet. It holds the graves of the settlement's founder and at least 25 to 30 armed forces veterans. Under Criterion C it is significant for modest but typical examples of early nineteenth-century funerary art in rural Upstate New York.
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 10000938, listed November 29, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Stump & Foster Rds, Shepard Settlement |
|---|---|
| County | Onondaga County |
| Listed | November 29, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000938 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | c.1823-1900 |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The cemetery is still active, with approximately 500 burials. It has no buildings, a historic stone wall on the north side, and a modern chain-and-post fence on the other sides. |
| Acreage | 2.6 |
| Coordinates | 42.99702, -76.39456 (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 10000938.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q22025478
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.