Tag Archives: Forest Lawn

August History Bit: The Forest Lawn train accident

15 Aug

On a quiet summer morning 136 years ago this week, the peaceful community of Forest Lawn was jarred by a horrifying crash. A deadly train accident shattered the town’s calm, leaving twisted tracks, splintered cars, and a tragic story that would be remembered for generations.

August 10, 1889 was a normal day for the Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg Railroad “stub train,” which ran from Windsor Beach to Forest Lawn every morning. It had pulled into the station at 7:50 a.m., as expected, and passengers were boarding. 

Unfortunately, it was not a normal morning for the “Thousand Island” express train, which was running almost two hours late. It normally barreled through the station at high speed at 6 a.m. But on this morning, as it thundered around the curve, the stub train blocked its path, and the engineer could do little to avoid the collision. 

The resulting crash telescoped the stub train’s coach cars, two of which were lifted off the tracks and shoved against the station house. The express train’s engine ran off into the sand and blew up. Three people lost their lives, including a young girl, and six were severely injured. 

Newspaper accounts from the time didn’t explicitly assign blame, but investigators questioned why no one anticipated that the late-arriving express train would reach Forest Lawn at about the same time as the stub train from Windsor Beach. A man should have been sent down the track to flag the train, the reports argued. Sometimes in such situations, orders are telegraphed ahead to stop at a siding, but the conductor insisted he never received any such order.

A Democrat and Chronicle article published the day following the crash noted that,

The place itself is a most favorable one for accidents. Forest Lawn is … situated on a sharp promontory. The Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg track curves sharply on each side of the station so that standing on the platform, scarcely twenty rods of track (330 feet) are visible to the west and the stretch of track between the station and the curve to the east is considerably less than that. … A flag was displayed at the rear of the stub train but to expect protection from that means would be worse than foolishness for it would give the engineer of the approaching train no time whatever in which to avert the disaster.

The Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg Railroad (better known in our area as the Hojack) has been out of business for many years, and the train station is long gone. But while trains no longer run through the Forest Lawn neighborhood, the memory of that tragic day will endure for many years. 

(photo above provided by Webster Town Historian Lynn Barton)

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)

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(posted 8/15/2025)

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Historic Forest Lawn neighborhood recognized

20 May

Every May, to recognize National Historic Preservation Month, the Webster Museum honors a historic property with a handsome plaque. This year, that honoree was not an individual property, but an entire neighborhood.

At the Webster Town Board meeting on Thursday May 17, Sharon Pratt from the museum’s Historic Properties Committee presented a plaque to the Forest Lawn neighborhood, represented by current Forest Lawn resident Mark Gunther.

Forest Lawn is a lakeside community neighborhood with its own mayor and a long history. Samuel Pierce, an early settler, bought and farmed 73 acres along the lake beginning in 1850. His son Horace and an attorney friend, George D. Forsyth, saw potential commercial opportunities in developing the land due to its proximity to the lake and proposed a railway line. In 1888, the Forest Lawn community began with the construction of a hotel. Shortly after, the land was divided into lots which were sold for summer cottages. In the years since, the cottages were all replaced with permanent homes. It is that date — 1888 — which is inscribed on the plaque.

The plaque program grew out of a survey of historic properties which a small group of museum volunteers tackled about more than 20 years ago. They especially were looking for homes that were built before 1902 which had enough of their historical integrity that their original owners would still recognize them.

The list they came up with was a long one. There were so many properties that it took a few years to compile their information, going to each house in turn, filling out a form and taking photos. In 2007 they decided to take all that information and propose a commemorative plaque program to the town. It would be a great way to recognize the town’s visual history, they argued, and a way for the town to say thank you to the homeowners who are putting in the time and effort to maintain the homes so they retain their original charm.

The town agreed. In 2008 the Historic Properties Committee presented its first 10 plaques, and have continued the program with the Town’s blessing every year since, handing out several plaques every May to commemorate Historic Preservation Month.

Most of the plaques that have been presented have gone to homes and business properties, but the committee has recently decided to start recognizing entire neighborhoods as well. Forest Lawn is the first historic neighborhood to receive that recognition.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).

(posted 5/20/2024)

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