Letchworth Mausoleum
Classical
The July 12th, 1872 issue of the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser & Journal noted, “Josiah Letchworth has erected what will be, when finished, the most elegant mausoleum in the country. The outside walls are of Medina and Connecticut brown sandstone. The inside walls and ceiling are of the most beautiful varieties of Italian and Egyptian marble finished in elegant and appropriate style.”
Apparently, Josiah was overcome with grief when, Mary (1839-1868), his bride of only three years, passed away while touring Switzerland. He spent close to $100,000 on this Classical Revival mausoleum. The centerpiece of the interior is a statue of his bride.
On the interior back wall of the mausoleum is an inscription which is as much a tribute to the run-on sentence as it is to Mary: “In memory of whom this monument and mausoleum have been erected by her husband whose unbounding love could not bind to earth the immortal spirit of her who was its most cherished object whose presence made earth a paradise, whose virtues, accomplishments and nobility of heart while they won the homage they deserved were excelled by a living Christian faith which even in her death taught the heart to say, ‘even so father, for so it seemed good in thy sight’”. Whew! Josiah sure must have loved his Mary.
Text and photo © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”Forest Lawn Cemetery” street=”1411 Delaware Avenue” city=”Buffalo” state=”New York” zip=”14209″]
