TROY, the HOME of UNCLE SAM

The residents of Troy, New York are proud of the fact that the United States incurred the nickname Uncle Sam because of Samuel Wilson who lived in Troy and is buried on the grounds of the huge Oakwood Cemetery located in Troy.

My wife, Ann, and I decided to locate the burial site and take some pictures of it. We had never been to the Oakwood Cemetery and this was our first adventure in it. It was an experience to remember. We thought we'd find the grave site of Uncle Sam easily, expecting to see all kinds of pointer to it. This was not the case, so after spending half an hour in the cemetery, we needed to declare defeat and resolved to try again at an early time.

Despite the fact that we had not found Uncle Sam, we had been awed by the beauty and size of the cemetery. We knew we'd visit it again many times after our objective had been met. One of the most impressive places in the cemetery is on high grounds where there is an overlook allowing splendid views of downtown Troy and surrounding locations all the way to Albany in one direction and Waterford in the other. This view, alone, makes a trip to this place a worthwhile experience.

On our second trip, we got a map from a very helpful worker there named Bernie. He had marked the map to show the exact location of the site we sought. We got lost once but eventually found the grave and took photos. We are showing five photos with this story. These show the grave site, a statute of Uncle Sam in downtown Troy, and others. The chapel located on the grounds presents an awesome sight.

There are many imposing monuments and mausoleums on these grounds. There is also a place where Civil War veterans are buried. Ann and I plan to go there again and again to visit these sites and to take pictures of them. If you visit Troy, make this cemetery one of your must see locations.