The hillside behind the Dutch Reformed Church of Beacon, New York is home to an abandoned cemetery surrounded by no trespassing signs. I visited the cemetery recently on a chilly fall day and made my way up the pathway beside the graveyard.
I didn't enter the cemetery itself for a few reasons. First because of the obvious no trespassing signs, and second because I know that there are open crypts that have skeletal human remains exposed to the elements. I'm not sure if the remains have been moved since they were written about in Atlas Obscura, but I decided not to disturb the area either way. If there are artifacts and remains that are vulnerable, I'd rather not disturb them.
This cemetery is the resting place of several notable figures. Originally, William Few Jr. (1748-1828), who was a senator that signed the Constitution, was buried in this cemetery before his remains were moved to Georgia in 1976. According to Find a Grave, the senator was radicalized against the crown when his brother was executed by Loyalists during an uprising meant to protest the unfair taxes in North Carolina. Few was active in the military during the war and afterward served in Congress from 1789-1793 as one of Georgia's original senators. In 1799 he moved from Georgia to New York, which was his wife's home state. Because of this move, he was buried here. Another figure who remains buried in the cemetery is Abraham Henry, Schenck, who was a US Congressman.
The state of this cemetery is deplorable, and the tombs broken open have been a source of anger in the community. On youtube, you can find videos from concerned citizens who have gone into the cemetery and documented exposed skeletal remains, including disintegrating clothing. As far as I could see, nothing has been done to preserve this cemetery or protect the human remains. I find this lack of care to be extremely surprising, given the level of development surrounding the site on all sides in the town of Beacon, New York.
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