Scouts Revitalize Historic Cemetery

On an overcast Sunday morning, members of Boy Scout Troop 243 gathered in Melville. Their mission was not camping or hiking or one of the more commonly thought of scout activities, today it was to clean up an old, neglected, historic cemetery. The Old Colyer Farm Cemetery dates from the late 1700’s, a time before public cemeteries became widespread and many farming families had plots of land dedicated as a family burial ground. Over the years, farms were sold and sub-divided, leaving these small cemeteries lost in the woods. In the Town of Huntington most of these were taken over by the Town as Historic Cemeteries, but due to cost and limited manpower, little maintenance has been provided causing them to become overgrown and in disrepair.

Years earlier, as an Eagle Scout project, Thomas A. Craven, III chose to restore the nearby Ketcham Cemetery, clearing a new entrance, removing weeds and creating a garden border. Now, as Assistant Scoutmaster, Craven is passing along his dedication to the community and love of history to a new generation of Scouts.

As they gathered this morning, the Scouts armed themselves with rakes, shovels, clippers, and leaf blowers. They learned the dangers of and how to identify poison ivy. They also learned about a little piece of history.

This cemetery is the burial place of Charles Colyer (1769 – 1817) and his family. As a young boy of about eight-years-old during the American Revolution, the British came through the area, confiscating food, weapons, and horses needed for their war effort. Colyer took his family’s horses and hid them from the British leaving the Colyer family as one of the few in the area that still had horses. At that time, horses were not pets but were a necessity for transportation and working their farm. Without them, surely crops would fail. It is also said that his mother hid the family silverware below the kitchen floor and later delivered it to General George Washington to be melted down for ammunition.

After hours of work, a new generation has learned the satisfaction of giving back to the community and the cemetery has taken on a new life. The fieldstone grave markers, some with initials and dates scratched into them, now stand clear instead of buried in leaves. Branches and vines have been removed and the cemetery has been restored to a place of peace and remembrance.