In the Hudson Valley, a unique assortment of colonial headstones.
The First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church was created in 1716 by the Rev. Petrus Vas from Kingston, New York. The church was founded in response to population growth in the area, mainly because residents were tired of having to cross the river to attend church in New Paltz or Kingston. Petrus began two churches at the same time, one in Poughkeepsie which was established immediately, and one in Fishkill. The Fishkill church didn't begin construction until 1725. It took some time to build the original sanctuary, but by 1730, the church was able to put out a call for a Pastor.
The burying ground is located on the church property and is open to visitors. The oldest burial there dates to around 1733, and the stones from the colonial era include several really unique examples of soul effigies that I haven't seen anywhere else. A good example of this can be shown in the 3D model below of Theodorus Van Wyck's (1754) headstone.
Apart from the more unique examples, there are many headstones in this burying ground that were carved by Johannes Zuricher, a stonecutter from New York City. Zuricher was active in New York City up until 1776, when he was driven out by the British occupation. Many examples of his work are present in the Fishkill Cemetery, with carvings in both English and Dutch. You can see an example of a Zuricher soul effigy below. Additionally, there's one headstone in the churchyard carved by Uzal Ward, imported from Newark, New Jersey.
The graveyard and the church itself represent an important historical site and collection of colonial-era artifacts that give us a look into the trade of headstones traveling north from New York City and New Jersey.
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