Lady in Glass

Lakeview Cemetery in Jamestown houses a very unique monument affectionately called the Lady in Glass.  This monument has the name Galloway carved into the granite base, above rests the statue of a woman encased in glass forever memorializing the life and death of Grace Galloway who died Nov, 2 1898 at the age of twenty-seven.  Over the years many legends and stories have sprung up around this peculiar monument.  Stories involving the life of a young bride cut short, or to that of the recent embellishment, which pronounced that, Miss Galloway passed away on a prom date.  Whatever the fascination with this monument is it has left a lasting impression on our little community and has survived over the generations to be passed down mutating along the way.

In passing when I first started my expedition to find the stories and local legends of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus county I stumbled across an account telling of a local cab driver or bus driver that picked up a woman in a white dress late at night around the entrance to the cemetery.  He found it strange that she should be dressed like she was going to a wedding or fancy ball.  He also found it strange she was so pale and quiet but he picked her up all the same and began to drive past the cemetery toward town.  Not paying too much attention for a few blocks he finally looked up to find that the woman he had just picked up was no longer on the bus. There was no sign of her or that she had ever gotten on.

Like I said whatever the story there is a fascination with Miss Galloway that I believe will endure for many more generations as the mysterious  “Lady in Glass” at Lakeview cemetery.

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