Discover the stories of our most well-known permanent residents.
Col. George H. Selkirk died on May 18, 1925. Col. Selkirk was born in Buffalo on February 10, 1835. His father, John Selkirk was a local architect. George first studied and followed the art of sculpture in Europe. As a sculptor, he completed two pieces of merit. They were the busts of President Millard Fillmore and the Reverend John C. Lord. But when the Civil War broke out in 1861, he enlisted as a lieutenant of Co. D, 49th New York Volunteers. He served for 4 years, becoming captain, major and then colonel of his regiment. He escorted General Daniel Bidwell’s body home after he had been killed. Col. Selkirk was wounded in the wilderness at the fight called the "Bloody Angle." After the war, he was one of the proprietors of the Buffalo Express newspaper for several years (along with friends Mark Twain and Josephus Larned) and served as Secretary of the Buffalo Park Commission. Col. George H. Selkirk is buried in section R in Forest Lawn.