Albany Village Cemetery

Albany Village Cemetery is on Albany Highway, just north of the Massey University Campus. It is open 365 days a year from 6am to 8pm during daylight savings, and from 6am to 6pm during winter. Interments can still be carried out at existing plots.

History

The cemetery offers a history of settlement in the area, with many prominent families buried there. The first interment at the cemetery, which is beside the Albany Presbyterian Church and was originally called Lucas Creek Cemetery, was in December 1879. More recently, in April 1991 a freak tornado demolished the original church and damaged the cemetery itself. A group of monumental masons got together and restored the damaged monuments, although many of the wooden markers had already been lost.

Interments of interest

Matthew Phillips was interred at Albany Village Cemetery in November 1883. He settled in Albany in 1856, and built a house and store and later a bakery near Gills Park. His son, Mark Phillips, discovered the Albany Beauty apple in about 1900, and the family established an orchard around Gills Rd. this was probably where the Albany Fruitgrowers' Association had its start.

View an aerial photograph of the Albany Village Cemetery PDF (190 KB)