The Freedom Cemeteries include two separate cemeteries — Freedom Cemetery and Freedom Rural Cemetery — though they are literally side by side. Located at the corner of Osmun Road and Cattaraugus County Road 23 (Freedom Road), The Freedom Cemeteries include a total of 5 acres.
When the First Ebenezer Welsh Baptist Church was constructed on the Freedom Flats in 1843-44, Welsh immigrants set aside a portion of the site for use as a burial ground. Deacon John Lewis donated the land, located in the southwestern part of the Town of Freedom. This became know as “Freedom Cemetery.” Nearby were the burials of English speaking Yankee settlers, who had settled in Freedom in the early decades of the 1800’s. Rufus Metcalf, who came from Vermont in 1811, donated the land for the English section of the cemetery. This became “Freedom Rural Cemetery.”
In addition to recognizing the history of both cemeteries, and the early settlers buried here, we can offer affordable options for casketed and cremation burial. As part of the Forest Lawn Cemetery Group, we pledge continued maintenance and care for the cemetery’s grounds, committed to assuring its future.
