Tending to the Graves at Acacia Park Cemetery

As Master of the Lodge many things fall to my responsibility. Tending to the sick, assisting in support of Brothers in hard times and honoring our dead, just to name a few. Honoring our dead is one of those odd levels of responsibility, as honoring them does not end at the funeral service but continues as long as we can actively recall our fallen Brothers in any capacity.

In my time as Master, I have been requested to tend the graves of those Brothers who's families are no longer able. An honor as a Master of a Lodge. It has taken me to some amazing Masonic sites in the Buffalo area that are often neglected. One such site is Resthaven located at Acacia Part Cemetery in Tonawanda, New York. Founded by Brother Adolph Richard Hansen in 1928,  noticing that there was no special place for respectful interment outside of the City of Buffalo for Freemasons. The cemetery eventualy grew out to included many different social, fraternal and civic groups as having their own burial sections. Yet still the three largest plots are of a Masonic connection or theme.

The cemetery is littered with memorials. The three largest beingMasonic in theme. Much like other sites in the Buffalo area this one also has a huge outdoor Lodge room. Easily the span of half a food ball field it is much larger than that found at Elm Lawn yet is not correct in construction as the one found there. The altar is not in the center at Acacia park and the chairs are off center to one another, yet is still very impressive just in its scale. The two more impressive memorials stand in their own section the of the cemetery.

The Resthaven Masonic Memorial to Master Masons  is a impressive work of art deco sculpture. It is impressively placed on the center of  mound surrounded by the graves of those Masons listed on the brass marker on the front of the memorial. The third memorial is a lone Corinthian column with a virgin weeping next to the broken column. Simply massive statue surmounted by a globe, denoting the universality of benevolence from the Craft.

This site has changed hands a few times, once being managed by the Order now owned by a company that holds a few graveyards in Buffalo. Sadly, the graves in the Masonic sections are not as well kept as the should be. These sites are part of our local Masonic heritage and hold deep cultural value. I hope in time we can undo the damage that has been.

W:. Daniel j. Di Natale

Outdoor Lodge located in Masonic Garden 

Full shot of the Corinthian Column  

The lone virgin weeping at the broken column 

Resthaven Memorial 

Top of the Resthaven Memorial