Brookhaven/South Haven Cemetery Projects nearing completion

Marty van Lith forwarded to the members of the Fire Place History Club the following update on this Summer's projects:

Our work in the Hamlet of South Haven is coming to fruition now that Hollis' repair work is completed. It would be nice if we could figure out a way to clean the headstones without damaging them. We still have two tasks in front of us to complete our work there - put up a split-rail fence and get the Town to maintain this cemetery. Pictures below were taken this morning (23 October 2009).

Carman Family Cemetery

These first two are of the recently completed Carman Family cemetery.

South Haven Presbyterian Church Cemetery

The mysterious workings of the Town never cease to amaze me. The front part of the South Haven Presbyterian cemetery is being maintained, right up to a point where a fellow named Hodges left off one day in early June promising to come back the next day to finish. He never did and the automatons who followed just continued mowing the area Hodges cleared.

Houston! We got a problem. This big, old, rotten maple tree is headed straight for some headstones that Hollis just repaired:

Azel Hawkins Cemetery

Meanwhile, three miles to the west, Hollis started repair work on the Azel Hawkins cemetery off Stillwood Lane, in Brookhaven Hamlet.

That son-of-a-gun even managed to repair Selah Hawkins' headstone, something I've tried to do several times over the course of two years:

There's a yellowjacket nest under the white piece of cardboard, which may have caused an early exit for Hollis and George.

--Marty

Carman/Miller burying ground

The following email was recently sent by Marty van Lith to members of the Fire Place History Club.  Marty is the "project manager" for the Brookhaven/South Haven cemetery conservation and renovations projects sponsored by the Club and funded by Town of Brookhaven Caithness Community Benefit Funds.  This particular site is the small Carman/Miller burying ground in South Haven, NY.

"George Hill Moore Peconic Monument Works" is the name of our stone mason, Hollis Warner's company.  I believe that Hollis' office and workshop on Griffing Avenue in Riverhead was built in 1843 by George Hill.  Imagine Hollis' surprise when he found inscriptions on two of the headstones in Carmans cemetery with his company's name on it.  Here are some pictures taken this morning: