d Address of Joseph Barrett, July 4, 18T<E

4°

HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER.

to parties visiting the town for the salubrity of its air or the beauty of its scenery.

The old burying ground of the Town is situated on the declivity near the Methodist meeting house in the village directly under Bates's hill -- This spot was formerly a part of the "common" (of which only "the green" now remains), laid out in 1681.

Tradition says that the Indians at one time interred their dead here. It is quite certain, however, that the white settlers used it from the beginning for burying their dead. April 7th, 1784, it was voted at a town meeting "That the Burying Ground be fenced in agreeable as it was laid out for or sett apart for Burying the dead." Again it was "voted that James McDonald, Philip Peck and James Trowbridge be a committee to superintend the work and see that it be done."a

Occasional notes in the town records refer to repairing the fence by setting newposts &c, until 1802, the careof it was madeoverto the Presbyterian Society; this continued three years, when the town voted to raise by subscription money to build a stone wall about the ground 5 afterwards it was the practice to rent it "for the pasture of sheep and calves only."6

The ground contains many curious memorials.

The Sacred W. W.

Decea to the memory of here lies the

sed Col. Lewis McDonald Esy. body of Thomas