A group of volunteers on Saturday collected 15 bags of debris from an abandoned cemetery located on the border North Hempstead and Oyster Bay that has become a dumping ground for construction materials and trash since the Village of East Hills annexed the site half a century ago.
The clean-up is the latest in maintenance efforts for Townsend Cemetery, which houses the remains of some of the first families to settle on Long Island.
“It was amazing how much was accomplished,” said North Hempstead Town Historian Howard Kroplick, an East Hills resident. “Everyone had a great time and it was just a great feeling to finally clean up a historic site in an area that was landlocked and without much access to it without going through people’s properties.”
The Town of North Hempstead last week received a $40,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for restoration to the site and in April Kroplick cleared a walking path through the cemetery, which is located off Northern Boulevard east of Glen Cove Road,
Kroplick led a group of 26 volunteers on Saturday that included North Hempstead Town Clerk Wayne Wink and Councilman Peter Zuckerman, both Democrats from Roslyn, who helped clear debris from trees that had fallen during Superstorm Sandy in addition to other garbage that accumulated at the site over the years.
During the clean-up, Kroplick said the group uncovered four headstones and two additional footstones than had previously been identified by the Town of North Hempstead.
There are now 13 headstones and four footstones visible in Townsend Cemetery, Kroplick said.
“There are 34 grave sites there overall, and I think most of the headstones are still there,” Kroplick said. “After Sandy, you couldn’t even see the headstones. They were all covered with branches.”
In a statement, North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth lauded the efforts of Kroplick and the other volunteers, saying “The Town is committed to the long-term preservation and restoration of the historic Townsend Cemetery.”
Townsend Cemetery was operational between 1790-1894 and was annexed by the Village of East Hills in 1961 from the Village of Old Brookville.
According to East Hills village records, the cemetery was cleaned and fenced upon its annexation but fell into disrepair due to confusion over who was responsible for its regular maintenance.
The grave sites are located within the Village of East Hills, but the cemetery is accessible through an entrance located within the Town of Oyster Bay.
State law requires both towns to maintain the property, but Oyster Bay spokesman Brian Devine said Monday the two towns would discuss the possibility of an intermunicipal agreement wherein North Hempstead would maintain the cemetery and the entrance.
Devine has said the cemetery’s restoration has not been a priority for Oyster Bay in recent years because the town has dealt with many of the complications that arose during Superstorm Sandy.
“We’re still working on the finer points of an intermunicipal agreement, but we want to be as helpful as we can and we’ve tried to be as helpful as we could be so far,” he said.
North Hempstead spokesman Ryan Mulholland said the town is working toward setting up a meeting with Oyster Bay officials in the next few weeks to discuss long-term maintenance to the site.
“It’s an unusual in that it’s on two towns, but I feel good that North Hempstead is ready to step up and take on the responsibility of cleaning up the cemetery and I’m confident Oyster Bay will be too,” Kroplick said.
