WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA – On Saturday, December 18th annual ceremony and laying of wreaths at the Old Post Cemetery.
Peru Gazette 2018 photo
Just after World War Two, the War Department said it was going to close the Post Cemetery and relocate the remains. If that had happened, we wouldn’t be having a ceremony this year. The Plattsburgh Press-Republican of January 8, 1947, carried the story.
VETERANS HERE WOULD MAINTAIN POST CEMETERY
“Plattsburgh Post No. 20 American Legion and Edward and Moses Wells Post No. 125 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, have offered to undertake the cost of maintenance and supervision of the post cemetery attached to the former Plattsburgh Barracks, it was revealed yesterday.
The two veterans’ associations made their offer in and effort to avert the War Department’s scheduled removal of the remains now interred in the cemetery, like those in eight other military cemeteries at Army installations declared surplus throughout New York State to the Woodlawn National Cemetery in Elmira.
Existence of a plan to preserve the cemetery here, where there are buried veterans and their families who served at Plattsburgh over many decades, including veterans of the Spanish-American War, World War I, and some veterans of World War II, was made known by Robert C. Booth, president of the Plattsburgh Chamber of Commerce, in releasing for publication his recent letter to the Quartermaster General’s Office, informing them of the offer. Booth noted that there had been a storm of protest in the local area following the announcement.
Copies of the letter were sent to the Secretary of War, New York State’s Senators and Congressmen promising that the organizations which numbered more than 2,000 strong would, “render any assistance that we can do to bring about this result which will help the peace of mind and sentimental attachment of our many citizens who are vitally interested in not disturbing the final resting place of their loved ones.”
A few years later the Air Force took over the base and, in 1970, the Air Force ceased any burials in the cemetery. Ownership of this resting place was transferred to the City of Plattsburgh with the closing of the base in 1995.
To see who is buried in the cemetery, go to and page through the names: https://www.nnytombstoneproject.net/…/interments_a.htm
Posted: December 16th, 2021 under Community Events, Northern NY News, Peru/Regional History, Veterans' News.