Fort Niagara Post Cemetery was once located on Lake Rd. at the east end of the Fort. The bodies were removed to Woodlawn National Cemetery in Elmira, NY in 1951 (according to notes at the Niagara County Historian’s Office). The following newspaper article indicates that they planned on moving the bodies in 1949. Further research will need to be done to confirm when the bodies were moved to Elmira.
“Soldiers’ Bodies Will Be Removed
Fort Niagara Cemetery To Revert To State During The Coming Spring
Historic Fort Niagara’s “Modern” cemetery, at Youngstown, N. Y., the last section of the Fort under Army control, will revert to New York State sometime next Spring, it is announced by Headquarters, First Army.
Fort Niagara originally ceded to the Federal Government in 1841, reverted to New York State in February 1948, with the exception of “Modern” cemetery which contains the remains of bodies interred during the period 1896 to 1945. Another section of the fort called the “1812” Cemetery was placed under the supervision of the Niagara Frontier State Park Commission because o[f] its historical significance in 1948.
Beginning April 1, 1949, the 74 bodies interred in the “Modern” Cemetery will be disinterred by the Army and reinterred in the Woodlawn National Cemetery at Elmira. An intensive search last year by the Quartermaster General, Washington, D. C., failed to reveal any records of next-of-kin of the remains in the cemetery, although a number of private headstones had been erected on the grave sites.
Next-of-kin desiring to accept remains for reburial in a cemetery of their choice should notify the Commanding General Headquarters First Army, Governors Island, New York, Attention: Quartermaster, prior to March 30, 1949. Remains will be dis-interred by the Army and turned over to next-of-kin who have indicated that they will accept them, but all expenses incurred in the reburial of the remains will be borne by the next-of-kin. All private headstones and government headstones of the remains that are accepted by their families, may be claimed at the site by the next-of-kin. Private headstones not claimed will be destroyed as they cannot be used in the Woodlawn National Cemetery, where all headstones are provided by the gover[n]ment and are required to be of uniform size.”1
- “Soldiers’ Bodies Will be Removed,” Lackawanna (NY) Leader, 20 January 1949, p. 8, col. 1; digital images, Old Fulton New York Post Cards (https://www.fultonhistory.com : accessed 19 July 2025), Historical Newspapers United States and Canada: Lackawanna NY Leader 1949-1951 – 0096.pdf.