Stories in Stone: Cornelius Tyler Longstreet

Pyramid for the Longstreet family in Oakwood Cemetery, 940 Comstock Avenue, next to Syracuse University, in Syracuse, Onondaga County, New York. Cornelius Tyler Longstreet (1814-1881) was a clothing manufacturer, banker, and one of Syracuse’s earliest and most wealthy residents. He built a Tudor-style mansion, later called “Longstreet’s Folly,” on the outskirts of Syracuse but later traded it with Alonzo Yates’ home so his family could live closer to the city. Several generations of Longstreets are interred in this large stone pyramid. Apparently it once contained elegant furnishings, sculptures, and even a Persian rug, but has been sealed to prevent vandalism.