geotsy.com logo

What to See in Cortland - Top Sights and Attractions

Discover 9 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Cortland (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Cortland Rural Cemetery, Unitarian Universalist Church, and Cortland County Courthouse. Also, be sure to include Cortland Free Library in your itinerary.

Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Cortland (New York).

Cortland Rural Cemetery

Cemetery in Cortland, New York
wikipedia / Wolfminnie / CC BY-SA 3.0

Cemetery in Cortland, New York. The Cortland Rural Cemetery is located in Cortland, New York, USA. A non-profit, non-denominational cemetery established in 1853, the still operational cemetery has a physical footprint of approximately 44 acres and features the attributes typical of the mid-19th century garden cemetery or rural cemetery, including rolling hills, copious trees, curving roads, and an overall asymmetrical design. The cemetery is regulated by the New York State Department of State NYS Division of Cemeteries and as such has the special designation of 501 reserved by independent, non-profit cemeteries in New York. It is managed by a volunteer Board of Trustees and funds its operations with a combination of revenues from operations such as burial fees, plot sales income, and marker foundation installation fees, ongoing donations from Cortland Rural Cemetery Foundation, and donations received from individual donors, other foundations, and in-kind assistance from the City of Cortland. Adjacent to the State University of New York at Cortland, located at 110 Tompkins Street, and an included in the Tompkins Street-Main Street Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places, the cemetery has over 19,000 individual graves on its grounds, including those of many notable figures in Cortland's history. The cemetery's grounds also include noteworthy historical architectural structures, including the Gibson Memorial Chapel designed by noted architect George W. Conable and an office/garage and superintendent's mansion designed by Carl Wesley Clark. The cemetery has dedicated Veterans sections and is also home to a decades-old Jewish Cemetery associated with Cortland's Temple Brith Sholom.[1]

Address: 110 Tompkins St, 13045-2429 Cortland

Open in:

Unitarian Universalist Church

Building in Cortland, New York
wikipedia / Doug Kerr / CC BY-SA 2.0

Building in Cortland, New York. The Unitarian Universalist Church of Cortland, New York, also known as "The Old Cobblestone Church," is an historic cobblestone church building located at 3 Church Street in Cortland, New York, United States. Built in 1837, the building was established as a Universalist church. Since 1961, the congregation has been a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association due to a denominational merger. The Unitarian Universalist Church of Cortland was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

It has cobblestone walls and granite quoins. In 1895, a large arch was cut in the east cobblestone wall and a Morey and Barnes organ was set in the arch. This historic organ is one of only two such historic organs remaining. It is nationally recognized by the American Organ Historical Society for its superb sound and nearly original condition.

The building was documented by Historic American Buildings Survey photographer Jack Boucher in 1966.

It is one of only 21 surviving cobblestone religious buildings in New York State. It is also the oldest public building still in use in Cortland, NY. "The Town of Cortlandville contributed $100 toward construction of the church in return for the use of the church basement as the Town Hall. The Town retained use of the basement until the 1880s."[2]

Address: 3 Church St, 13045-2755 Cortland

Open in:

Cortland County Courthouse

City courthouse in Cortland, New York
wikipedia / Calvin Beale / Public Domain

City courthouse in Cortland, New York. Cortland County Courthouse is a historic courthouse located at Cortland in Cortland County, New York. It was built in 1924 and is a three-story building in the shape of a Latin cross built of Indiana limestone. It is located within a three-acre park. It features a distinctive cupola and corresponding rotunda, which rests on an octagonal base, above which are 24 Corinthian columns. It was designed by James Riely Gordon in the Beaux Arts style.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[3]

Open in:

Cortland Free Library

Library in Cortland, New York
wikipedia / Doug Kerr / CC BY-SA 2.0

Library in Cortland, New York. Cortland Free Library is a historic library building located at Cortland in Cortland County, New York. It consists of one colossal story, seven bays wide, that stands on a high basement. It is constructed of brick in the Georgian Revival style and built in 1928. The entrance is marked by a projecting portico with four columns.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.[4]

Address: 32 Church St, 13045 Cortland

Open in:

First Presbyterian Church Complex

Building in Cortland
wikipedia / Doug Kerr / CC BY-SA 2.0

Building in Cortland. First Presbyterian Church Complex, also known as United Presbyterian Church, is a historic Presbyterian church located at Cortland in Cortland County, New York. It was built in 1889-1890 and is a solid massed masonry building consisting of a central hip-roofed main block fronted by steeply pitched gable projections. Major additions to the original church were completed in 1922 and 1958. The church features a stout, multi stage bell tower with a tall steeple and prominent cross on the spire. Also on the property is a Queen Anne style manse completed in 1903.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.[5]

Open in:

Lime Hollow

Nature preserve in Cortland County, New York
wikipedia / Denali National Park and Preserve / Public Domain

Nature preserve in Cortland County, New York. The Lime Hollow Center for Environment and Culture is a nature preserve project in Cortland County, New York. It was founded in 1993 as the Lime Hollow Nature Center, the culmination of efforts 20 years earlier to develop a nature preserve to protect an unusual assemblage of marl ponds, a peat bog, and kame-and-kettle topography along an abandoned railroad right of way in Lime Hollow, just west of the city of Cortland.[6]

Address: 338 McLean Rd, 13045-9225 Cortland

Open in:

United States Post Office

Post office in Cortland County, New York
wikipedia / Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD / CC BY-SA 4.0

Post office in Cortland County, New York. US Post Office-Cortland is a historic post office building located at Cortland in Cortland County, New York. It was built in 1913-1915 and enlarged in 1940–1941. It is one of a number of post offices in New York State designed by the Office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department, Oscar Wenderoth. It is a one-story building with a brick foundation clad in granite with facades clad in coursed ashlar limestone in the Neoclassical style. The lobby features a wood relief by Ryah Ludins in 1942-1943 titled "Valley of the Seven Hills."

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[7]

Open in:

State University of New York at Cortland

University in Cortland, New York
wikipedia / Sws2910 / CC BY-SA 3.0

University in Cortland, New York. The State University of New York College at Cortland is a public college in Cortland, New York, United States. It is part of the State University of New York system.[8]

Open in:

William J. Greenman House

William J. Greenman House
wikipedia / Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD / CC BY-SA 4.0

William J. Greenman House is a historic home located at Cortland in Cortland County, New York. It was built in 1896, and based on a pattern book plan by architect George Franklin Barber. It is a 2½-story, Queen Anne-style frame dwelling. It is sheathed in clapboard and sits on a stone foundation. It features exuberant wood trim, decorative shingles and half-timbering; a wraparound porch with a circular section topped by a bell-shaped roof; and projecting bay windows. Also on the property is a contributing carriage house.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.[9]

Open in:

More Ideas on Where To Go and What To See

Citations and References