Tour Of Oak Hill Cemetery To Highlight New, Historical Features

NYACK, NY — The Board of Trustees of Oak Hill Cemetery will hold an open house June 29 of its newly-constructed community mausoleum, an event that will include tours, conducted by the Historical Society of the Nyacks, of the notable figures buried at Oak Hill.

Enjoy sweeping vistas of the Hudson River and light refreshments and meet cemetery staff and Board of Trustee members from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Historical tours are scheduled for noon and 2 p.m.

The Mausoleum of Oak Hill is a 4,600 square foot state of the art facility featuring marble crypts, glass and marble cremation niches and stained glass produced by the Conrad Pickel Studio of Vero Beach, FL.

There are 5 separate pieces of magnificent stained glass consisting of 2 windows and the gable window in the front along with stained glass surrounding both front doors, framing a majestic view of the Hudson River.

"For families that want to find a resting place for loved ones that is surrounded by beauty and steeped in history, there is no place like Oak Hill Cemetery, " said Bill Batson, Chair of the Communications Committee of the Board of Trustees. "As proud as we are to provide tours of the Mausoleum at Oak Hill, we also hope people will explore our 50 bucolic, tree-lined acres, with luscious lawns and sweeping vistas of the Hudson River, where we also provide traditional burials."

Oak Hill was dedicated on June 27, 1848 before a crowd of 3,000 people. Its establishment was part of a national transition from small, family or religious burial grounds to community cemeteries. The non-sectarian, not-for-profit cemetery has been enlarged several times.

Twenty-five headstones that predate the 1848 incorporation of Oak Hill are from Salisbury Point in South Nyack and were moved because of flooding.

Oak Hill is the final resting place of the founders of Nyack and other area families, including veterans, artists, writers and scientists, among many others. The oldest headstone is for Harmanus Tallman (1716-1790), the great nephew of the first European settler in this region, Dowe Harmensen Tallman. Among the illustrious and fascinating in permanent residence at Oak Hill Include:

• Helen Hayes and her husband, South Nyack native Charles MacArthur. Hayes was an EGOT winner (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony)
• General Daniel Ullman, credited with convincing President Abraham Lincoln to create a black regiment during the civil war to fight on behalf of the Union Army
• Acclaimed painter Edward Hopper
• Author of the "Heart is a Lonely Hunter" Carson McCullers.
• Waverly “Chipper” Brown (killed on duty during the 1981 Brinks Robbery)

"I am thrilled that Oak Hill is recognizing the rich and compelling histories behind the names on the tombstones in their cemetery as they enter a new era with this modern structure," said Mike Hays, President of the Historical Society of Nyack. "We conduct cemetery tours here every year and are delighted to introduce open house visitors to some of the extraordinary stories of the men and women buried here."

The Open House is free to the public. For more information about Oak Hill visit oakhillcemeterynyack.com or call 845-358-0012