The Nyack Rural Cemetary is on the north side of Rt. 59, east of Rt. 303 and west of Rt. 9W. The entrance is located on the same side of the street as Nyack Lumber, just to to the west of it.
We explored this graveyard a few years ago when there was no path and found everything unkempt and overgrown. Now there is a clear path that begins near this stone marker next to the lumber yard. There’s room for just a couple of cars to park here.
The path is so wide that a car could easily drive to the gravesites if necessary (weigh risk against recent rainfall, though!).
Members of some of Nyack’s oldest families are buried here.
Minnie lived a long time. This seems to be a new plaque. Why no stone I wonder?
Not all the graves have been cleared. I wonder why they decided not to dig these out.
We explored this graveyard a few years ago when there was no path and found everything unkempt and overgrown. Now there is a clear path that begins near this stone marker next to the lumber yard. There’s room for just a couple of cars to park here.
The path is so wide that a car could easily drive to the gravesites if necessary (weigh risk against recent rainfall, though!).
Members of some of Nyack’s oldest families are buried here.
Minnie lived a long time. This seems to be a new plaque. Why no stone I wonder?
Not all the graves have been cleared. I wonder why they decided not to dig these out. 
Once you’re up here, the trail pretty much goes cold, but if you’re wearing sturdy shoes and long pants, why not explore the woods a little? 
Although I’m glad that the graves are now accessible and maintained, I kinda miss them being our “secret” site. Do you have a favorite "secret" site that is no longer a secret? 
12 comments:
Graveyards always have such a sense of serene. I am glad they cleaned this one up a bit.
Glad to hear about someone else finding old graveyards intriguing. Nice post!
JGH: I agree with tina, very serene and a thin place between worlds (to borrow from a title of a favorite book). The air is little more heady, I think.
What fascinating stories in your cemetery there, from Minnie's plaque with no stone, to the overgrown graves! Those have such an eerie look to them. Could it be that someone is still in the process of clearing the cemetary and they haven't gotten to that part yet? We used to walk a trail around a big peat bog not far from my home, but it's become almost crowded now since its discovery!
I used to hike in the Marin woods (north of San Francisco) to a "hidden" graveyard. It was pretty deserted and spooky, I still have dreams set there sometimes! It is strange that some of the space you found has been cleared, and other parts left wild. Maybe a volunteer project that's being done in phases?
We have a hidden graveyard here too. I haven't been there, but my daughter has explored it. I have a little spot by a billabong in the national park here that used to be overlooked. But there is tidying up happening there, so I don't think it will be overlooked for much longer.
What a beautiful place...I love to explore old places like this. The names on the stones are so intriguing to me!
I like exploring graveyards too. Now let's see....there is a place up near our mountain home----you can't get there anymore because loggers came in and cleared the area leaving too much debris behind to enter. It does make me sad. Artichokes use to grow there and we'd eat the hearts. We still go to the old home but many of the trails have been disturbed.
I enjoyed all of the photos and story behind your secret spot. I find old cemetaries fascinating, too. So glad someone has made an attempt to show some respect for those at rest in the graveyard.
You should share these photos with findagrave.com. I just got a photo request from a person looking for photos of the headstones of Charles Conklin (1855) and Mary Elizabeth Hartwick Conklin (b. 1851 d. 1936). I am away now, but plan to make a visit when I return in a week. Your information will help a great deal in finding the cemetary. I imagine it will be difficult to find the actual graves. See these links:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&GRid=28843610&CRid=2243480&
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=rapList&rapMode=cemetery&rapCemeteryId=2243480
I just started doing my genealogy and discovered that I have family from the late 1800's/early 1900s buried here. I'm so happy that it is being maintained by the town of Nyack.
My wife and I noticed this cemetery one day when purchasing cabinets for our kitchen from Nyack Kitchens, part of the Lumber yard. We both wondered who was responsible for the cemetery since it appeared to be neglected and over grown. There were graves down the embankment close to the parking area for Nyack Kitchens. I hope Clarkstown has since cleared these graves as well.
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