PINE RIDGE HERITAGE BLVD. AREA
400-800 Blocks
Cheektowaga, NY 14225
Established: Various
Acres: Various
Bella Morte Rating: 2 Tombstones
About 10 miles from the heart of Buffalo’s downtown area, taphophiles will discover a veritable smorgasbord of small (with one large exception) cemeteries which, while hardly worth undertaking any extraordinary measures to reach, are nevertheless worthy of exploration should any circumstance happen to lead you to the vicinity.
Located just off the Kensington Expressway, Pine Ridge Heritage Blvd. boasts a mile-long stretch of road between the 400 and 800 blocks that is entirely dedicated to the memorialization of the dead. Here, Catholic and Jewish burial grounds share green borders and it is quite possible to spend a good many hours driving or strolling among the headstones and statuary.
We visited in the summer and most of the cemeteries were open until dusk, which allowed us to enjoy the lovely slant of evening light as it lengthened the shadows. One caveat, while in a largely-desolate Jewish cemetery, we were questioned by a rather surly police officer who was dubious about our reason for being in a cemetery at all, let alone toward nightfall. Visitors should keep this in mind and save the largest, Mount Calvary (800 Pine Ridge Heritage Blvd.) for last as it was, at the time of our visit, still hosting a number of visitors as the day grew older.
Although we found nothing to “blow our minds,” we were quite content to spend a number of hours exploring the various cemeteries that, more often than not, were densely populated with figures of Christ, saints, angels, and mourning figures.
Take a brief tour in our gallery to get a sense of what the area is about and, if you are so inclined, plan on spending some time should you ever happen to be in Buffalo or, indeed, Cheektowaga.
[F]
400-800 Blocks
Cheektowaga, NY 14225
Established: Various
Acres: Various
Bella Morte Rating: 2 Tombstones
About 10 miles from the heart of Buffalo’s downtown area, taphophiles will discover a veritable smorgasbord of small (with one large exception) cemeteries which, while hardly worth undertaking any extraordinary measures to reach, are nevertheless worthy of exploration should any circumstance happen to lead you to the vicinity.
Located just off the Kensington Expressway, Pine Ridge Heritage Blvd. boasts a mile-long stretch of road between the 400 and 800 blocks that is entirely dedicated to the memorialization of the dead. Here, Catholic and Jewish burial grounds share green borders and it is quite possible to spend a good many hours driving or strolling among the headstones and statuary.
We visited in the summer and most of the cemeteries were open until dusk, which allowed us to enjoy the lovely slant of evening light as it lengthened the shadows. One caveat, while in a largely-desolate Jewish cemetery, we were questioned by a rather surly police officer who was dubious about our reason for being in a cemetery at all, let alone toward nightfall. Visitors should keep this in mind and save the largest, Mount Calvary (800 Pine Ridge Heritage Blvd.) for last as it was, at the time of our visit, still hosting a number of visitors as the day grew older.
Although we found nothing to “blow our minds,” we were quite content to spend a number of hours exploring the various cemeteries that, more often than not, were densely populated with figures of Christ, saints, angels, and mourning figures.
Take a brief tour in our gallery to get a sense of what the area is about and, if you are so inclined, plan on spending some time should you ever happen to be in Buffalo or, indeed, Cheektowaga.
[F]