Gideon Putnam Burying Ground, Saratoga Springs

The Gideon Putnam Burying Ground is located on South Franklin Street in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It contains over 150 graves of early and mid-19th century residents of the city, all from the period between 1812 and 1871. It was restored in the 1980s after suffering from almost a century of neglect. Gideon Putnam was the city's founder. He built one of its first resort hotels, and laid out the grid plan that guided its subsequent development. He intended for this parcel to be used as a public cemetery, and became its first burial after his death from injuries sustained in a construction accident. His grave is the only extant remnant of his presence in the city he founded. His premature death and burial meant that, apart from the Putnam family plot, it was not used much as a public cemetery since no plans or preparation had been made for that purpose. In 2003 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The cemetery is on an irregularly shaped 1.1-acre (4,500 m2) plot on the east side of South Franklin just south of Grand Avenue, opposite the Oak Street junction. It is just outside the Broadway and West Side historic districts. The neighborhood is residential, with houses across South Franklin to the west and an apartment complex on the east. A chainlink fence runs along South Franklin. There are 161 marked graves scattered around the property, in no regular pattern. Most headstones are of marble or granite; some are unadorned and others show common 19th-century funerary art such as urn-and-willow motifs. On a rise in the north central portion is the Putnam family plot, surrounded by a fieldstone wall with smooth stone coping. Access to it is provided by a wrought iron gate with stone lintel. The graves of Gideon Putnam and his wife are marked by obelisks.

The Gideon Putnam Burying Ground is located on South Franklin Street in Saratoga Springs. Named for the founding father of Saratoga Springs, Gideon Putnam, the cemetery contains more than 150 graves of early and mid-19th century, mostly working-class residents of the city. In 1835, the Putnam’s gave their family burial land to the village of Saratoga Springs to be used as a public burial plot. In 1812, Gideon Putnam became the first to be buried here.

The town formed later than many Euro-American settlements in the area, with its earliest plan having been drawn up in the late 18th century, and became an established settlement by 1810 after Gideon Putnam aquired land in the area, and maps were made of his properties which now comprise the downtown core of the town as we know it today. Putnam planned the space for the burial ground into the original settlement layout, placing it on a sloped piece of land, on the southwest corner of the settlement plan. This uneven landform wouldn’t have been ideal for building houses or farming, which makes it an excellent candidate for a burial ground! Today the burial ground holds approximately 150 graves, including the large walled family plot for the Putnam Family. Unfortunately when we visited, the burial ground was locked and we were unable to find a way inside that didn’t involve climbing a fence, but it is definitely a site that I’d like to visit in the future. I’m sure the gravestones for the Putnam family are very interesting! What I find particularly cool about the Putnam Burying Ground is that Gideon laid out the properties you see mapped above after himself and his wife Doanda moved to the area in 1789, and while clearing the land he recognized the series of springs along a fault line and decided to capitalize on them by opening a hotel and other amenities such as a spa resort for C19th tourists. Because he organized a lot of the utilization of this area, it means that he also planned and laid out the burial ground for that specific function within the town! ***PH***