Soldier & Sailor Monument Tower at Mount Albion Cemetery – Albion, NY

We stumbled upon this cemetery and the tower inside it completely by accident. We were on one of our weekend adventures, and as we drove past, the hilly topography of the cemetery immediately grabbed my attention. I like to explore beautiful old cemeteries, and Mount Albion Cemetery was one of the most beautiful cemeteries that I’ve ever seen. The cemetery bears a striking resemblance to Mount Hope Cemetery, which is what really enticed us to venture in and take a look around.

Soldier & Sailor Monument Tower at Mount Albion Cemetery

Our First visit was during the winter when the cemetery was covered in snow. We couldn’t pull very far into the Cemetery. We didn’t even know about this cemetery’s hidden gem, The Soldier and Sailor Monument Tower.

Amazing Tower View

As we tromped through the snow and up and down the terraced hills, my daughter noticed a tall building at the very back of the cemetery on the highest hill. We headed up there to check it out. We were excited to discover that the building was actually a tower that we could climb. The Soldier and Sailor Monument Tower was built between 1874 and 1876 in memory of fallen soldiers from the Civil War.

Fun Facts: The Soldier and Sailor Monument Tower is 69 feet high and 84 steps on a spiral staircase leading to a viewing area at the top of the tower.

The Soldier and Sailor Monument Tower was a fantastic find. The view from the top of the tower is absolutely incredible. You have a 360-degree view, and you can literally see for miles!

Fun Fact: Mount Albion Cemetery was the first property in Orleans County to be added to the National Registry of Historic Places.

There is a spiral staircase that leads to the top of the tower. This is not for the faint of heart. There is a portion of the spiral staircase that is in almost total darkness. It is only for a few feet, but of course, this is the few feet where someone decided that a banister wasn’t necessary. This had me scratching my head a bit. We ended up descending on our butts, from step to step, until we reached the railing again.

When we returned in the Fall, I noticed that it wasn’t quite as dark in the middle of the tower; however, it was a sunny day, which probably helped. It is a narrow space climbing up the tower; you need to make sure that no one is coming up when you are going down and vice versa.

I recommend coming down the stairs on your butt, moving carefully down step by step until you reach the hand rail.

On our last visit, it was an extremely windy day, and while it wasn’t dangerous standing at the top of the tower, it certainly made us feel a little unsteady.

If you are at all Closter phobic or have a fear of dark places, I wouldn’t recommend you attempt to climb this tower. Otherwise, it is completely amazing and so worth the climb.

Explore the Cemetery

Please note: The roads within the cemetery are narrow and winding and, dare I say, a tad on the dangerous side in places. Please use extreme caution, especially on the roads near the top of the cemetery. There are quite a few blind turns. I recommend parking near the bottom and walking up, just to avoid this.

This is a beautiful and charming cemetery of rolling terraced hills, old trees, and graveled roads. It reminded me a great deal of Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, but more quaint.

Since the cemetery is so hilly, it is a workout to walk around and explore it. The incline of many of the terraces is so steep that you can’t just stroll up them. In many instances, it is just easier to walk the graveled road to tour the cemetery than to wear yourself out trying to climb the hills. I did notice that it was easier to climb the hills in the winter when the snow leveled out the terraces a bit.

It might sound creepy to some, but I love exploring cemeteries, especially in the fall. The color of the leaves and crisp air create the perfect atmosphere. Mount Albion cemetery is beautiful at any time of year (seriously, even in the winter, this place was gorgeous), and it is truly spectacular in the fall. Mount Albion Cemetery was designed to resemble a park-like setting, with large trees covering the hills and valleys of the well-manicured lawn. It goes without saying that autumn is just amazing here.