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Nearly 180-year-old cemetery left untouched by vandals, until now
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| This shows how in one part of the Austerlitz Cemetery, vandals simply went in a straight line knocking over gravestones several weeks ago. Karrie Allen/Chatham Courier |
By Karrie Allen
AUSTERLITZ — In 1830, Ithamer and Hannah Lane left the property that is now the Austerlitz Cemetery to the town. In the almost 180 years that it has been there, the graves of those buried there, many belonging to families with a long history connected to the town, have been left alone. But in one night almost three weeks ago, around 20 stones were destroyed and now the cemetery board must pick up the pieces, quite literally, left by vandals.
While touring the recent damage, cemetery board member Robert Herron pointed out the stones knocked over, from the front, where the Lane family stone once stood upright, to the very back, where more stones had been knocked over.
The one-and-a-half-acre cemetery contains the remains of several prominent families in Austerlitz, dating back to the very first stone in 1830.
Herron began with the Lane family stone. The property was left by Ithamer and Hannah Lane, but those buried in the plot are their children, John and Hannah. According to cemetery records, there are 10 Lanes buried in the cemetery.
Then, along the south line of the cemetery, was a line of gravestones knocked over. One stone in the line belongs to Harold Hammond, a World War II veteran, whose stone was not only knocked over, but flower arrangements and flags around the stone had also been disturbed.
Another stone along this line belongs to Zachary Culley, who died in 1995 at the age of 16 due to a swimming accident. Herron said that since he’s probably the most recent burial in the cemetery, Culley’s family still visits often and had righted his stone, though it was still loose.
In addition to the gavestone damage, the vandals had thrown various flower arrangements and cemetery property, such as an urn, over the fence along the south side of the cemetery.
Other family stones vandalized included those of Gott, Di Govanni, Sauers, McCagg, Benton, Davis and Ritter, who really doesn’t have a deep tie to the town, said Herron. He mentioned that the house he lives in once belonged to the Sauers family.
Herron pointed out that the stone of Hosea Varney, his great-great-grandfather, had been knocked over. He mentioned his parents and grandparents are also buried in the cemetery.
Another stone knocked over belongs to the Kinne family, who owned the houses across from the cemetery. Called “Kinneville,” the family manufactured carriages and wagons. A stone belonging to a Miss Ackley was also knocked over. She was related to the Kinnes, according to Herron.
And yet another stone belongs to the Cooks. Herron said that they owned “Cook’s Pinnacle,” which was a house located across from where Edna St. Millay’s house stands.
Herron said that the cemetery had been in poor condition in the early 20th century. He said one of the stones that had been knocked over into the driveway belonged to Marvin Michael, who in the early 1930s, helped restore the cemetery for the first time.
Michael held chicken pot pie dinners in Woodman’s Hall near East Hill Road for $1 to help restore the cemetery, said Herron. Families in the community — the Ferrys, Herrons, Stones, Gleasons, Michaels and others — cooked the dinners in their homes.
Another historic family buried in the cemetery includes the Bailey family, which owned the farm that Millay bought. Herron said one of the sons, Sanford H. Bailey, who grew up on the farm but had moved to Pittsfield, Mass., would take the train to the state line and find his way to Austerlitz, where he would stay at the Harvey-Eggert Hotel at the intersection of Routes 203 and 22. He would stay for two or three days and work in the cemetery. When he died in 1973, he left $1,000 to the cemetery and is also buried in it.
Herron did say that there are a few stones in the cemetery that were already over before the vandalism and several years ago, the board had raised money for those repairs. He said that the cost to repair those destroyed by the vandalism will cost into the thousands.
It’s an “expensive deal,” he said, mentioning there would probably be two estimates for the repairs.
Herron said there are state funds that could help with the repairs, since local cemeteries pay into the New York State Cemetery Board, but whatever isn’t covered will be up to the Austerlitz Cemetery Board and maybe even the families.
He also said that the stone people will have to come in and right all the stones knocked over and re-cement them, which can only be done in warmer weather, so the repairs most likely won’t happen until next spring.
Herron did mention though that the Austerlitz Cemetery is usually well kept and that there are still burial plots for sale, enough for the next 20 years, at least. The board is also looking into surrounding land to expand, but nothing is definite right now.
Herron didn’t want to speculate who might have vandalized this historic cemetery and state police are still investigating.
Before leaving the cemetery, Herron mentioned one more stone — untouched by the vandals. The stone, he said, belongs to the great-great-grandmother of Nancy Reagan, which many don’t know is there.
The Austerlitz Cemetery is full of names that have been connected to the town for decades and beyond and although its almost 180 years of stillness has been tarnished by vandals, gravestones will be put back and the history that is buried there will live on.
While touring the recent damage, cemetery board member Robert Herron pointed out the stones knocked over, from the front, where the Lane family stone once stood upright, to the very back, where more stones had been knocked over.
The one-and-a-half-acre cemetery contains the remains of several prominent families in Austerlitz, dating back to the very first stone in 1830.
Herron began with the Lane family stone. The property was left by Ithamer and Hannah Lane, but those buried in the plot are their children, John and Hannah. According to cemetery records, there are 10 Lanes buried in the cemetery.
Then, along the south line of the cemetery, was a line of gravestones knocked over. One stone in the line belongs to Harold Hammond, a World War II veteran, whose stone was not only knocked over, but flower arrangements and flags around the stone had also been disturbed.
Another stone along this line belongs to Zachary Culley, who died in 1995 at the age of 16 due to a swimming accident. Herron said that since he’s probably the most recent burial in the cemetery, Culley’s family still visits often and had righted his stone, though it was still loose.
In addition to the gavestone damage, the vandals had thrown various flower arrangements and cemetery property, such as an urn, over the fence along the south side of the cemetery.
Other family stones vandalized included those of Gott, Di Govanni, Sauers, McCagg, Benton, Davis and Ritter, who really doesn’t have a deep tie to the town, said Herron. He mentioned that the house he lives in once belonged to the Sauers family.
Herron pointed out that the stone of Hosea Varney, his great-great-grandfather, had been knocked over. He mentioned his parents and grandparents are also buried in the cemetery.
Another stone knocked over belongs to the Kinne family, who owned the houses across from the cemetery. Called “Kinneville,” the family manufactured carriages and wagons. A stone belonging to a Miss Ackley was also knocked over. She was related to the Kinnes, according to Herron.
And yet another stone belongs to the Cooks. Herron said that they owned “Cook’s Pinnacle,” which was a house located across from where Edna St. Millay’s house stands.
Herron said that the cemetery had been in poor condition in the early 20th century. He said one of the stones that had been knocked over into the driveway belonged to Marvin Michael, who in the early 1930s, helped restore the cemetery for the first time.
Michael held chicken pot pie dinners in Woodman’s Hall near East Hill Road for $1 to help restore the cemetery, said Herron. Families in the community — the Ferrys, Herrons, Stones, Gleasons, Michaels and others — cooked the dinners in their homes.
Another historic family buried in the cemetery includes the Bailey family, which owned the farm that Millay bought. Herron said one of the sons, Sanford H. Bailey, who grew up on the farm but had moved to Pittsfield, Mass., would take the train to the state line and find his way to Austerlitz, where he would stay at the Harvey-Eggert Hotel at the intersection of Routes 203 and 22. He would stay for two or three days and work in the cemetery. When he died in 1973, he left $1,000 to the cemetery and is also buried in it.
Herron did say that there are a few stones in the cemetery that were already over before the vandalism and several years ago, the board had raised money for those repairs. He said that the cost to repair those destroyed by the vandalism will cost into the thousands.
It’s an “expensive deal,” he said, mentioning there would probably be two estimates for the repairs.
Herron said there are state funds that could help with the repairs, since local cemeteries pay into the New York State Cemetery Board, but whatever isn’t covered will be up to the Austerlitz Cemetery Board and maybe even the families.
He also said that the stone people will have to come in and right all the stones knocked over and re-cement them, which can only be done in warmer weather, so the repairs most likely won’t happen until next spring.
Herron did mention though that the Austerlitz Cemetery is usually well kept and that there are still burial plots for sale, enough for the next 20 years, at least. The board is also looking into surrounding land to expand, but nothing is definite right now.
Herron didn’t want to speculate who might have vandalized this historic cemetery and state police are still investigating.
Before leaving the cemetery, Herron mentioned one more stone — untouched by the vandals. The stone, he said, belongs to the great-great-grandmother of Nancy Reagan, which many don’t know is there.
The Austerlitz Cemetery is full of names that have been connected to the town for decades and beyond and although its almost 180 years of stillness has been tarnished by vandals, gravestones will be put back and the history that is buried there will live on.
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