Status: Abandoned

As just about anyone who reads this site on a regular basis knows, I’m intrigued with the Salesian School and its grounds like no other place I’ve visited. After our feature on this abandoned religious school for boys ran for a while, I received an email from David A. Keller, a former caretaker who was raised with his brothers, also caretakers, in the building on the grounds that is now the VFW hall. It was their responsibility to take care of David Haight’s mausoleum and a small cemetery dating back to the 17-1800s. I was completely unaware of the cemetery, and being an enthusiast, this sparked my interest even more. I knew it was time to investigate.

Dave told me that this small 30X30 foot cemetery was located near the swimming pond the Salesians built 25 years after they bought the property and was surrounded by a fieldstone wall with an attached crypt. Around the year of 1950, the Salesians removed the tombstones from the cemetery, used them as landfill, and converted the crypt into a storage house for pond chemicals and rowboats. In fact, a marble obelisk which represents the staff of life, was moved to the grotto from this cemetery and the original carving was replaced with a plaque commemorating fallen war heroes.

With Dave’s help, I set out with a few friends and fellow explorers to find the location of this cemetery and hopefully find some more evidence that it did indeed exist. Sure enough, we spotted the fieldstone wall just as described and discovered the crypt just beyond it. The inside of the crypt was painted bright orange and contained what looked like pumps for the swimming pond. If one didn’t know better, one would never suspect the true identity of this little stone storage house. We investigated the area where the bodies would be buried, and I’m not sure if my imagination was running wild, but the land within the stone walls was curiously bumpy–like that of many other old cemeteries I have visited. It spooked me just a bit to think that children might have played here not knowing what could be under their feet!

About six people can actually vouch for the existence of this forgotten cemetery, and Dave is one of them. He has been fighting to have the obelisk returned to its rightful location and the cemetery preserved. Because of his efforts, the town of Goshen has finally passed a law protecting cemeteries in the Village.

To verify that this was indeed the location of the long forgotten cemetery, I sent Dave a picture. Here is the email he sent me in return:

Hi Ember!

YES! That is the cemetery! I am talking with my brother John right now and neither he nor I can remember any tombstone dates after the civil war. The attached structure was a crypt and later used as a storage area. The broken tombstones are buried between the westerly side of the cemetery and the spring, approximately 100 feet to the southwest?

When the Village of Goshen gets around to returning the obelisk to the cemetery and, hopefully, remove the plaques that have been attached, the family name should be revealed. Again, I think it was Johnson, but it could have been Carpenter or Brush?

Here is a copy of latest note from Susan Fast, a member of the Village Board. David Flannery was a boyhood chum who was present when the cemetery was dismantled.
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2/10/2004 9:24 AM
DAVE, Last night the Board passed the law protecting cemeteries in the Village. I gave Dave Flannery’s name and address to the Mayor, Scott Wohl, who knew Dave, and a contact is going right out to him. Thanks for the
info. Susan
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Keep searching and have fun!

Regards,

Dave

In a previous email, Dave shared with me his favorite epitaph from a rose granite stone that was part of the cemetery long ago, which I just had to include:

“Whomever reads my sudden call
PREPARE! Ye may as sudden fall
And Daily learn to ready be
For you shall end - just as me.”

He also informed me that state historic preservationists are examining the grounds and the buildings to assess whether or not they can be designated a historical landmark and referred me to this article.

Thanks to the efforts of people like Dave, hopefully not every part of our beloved Salesian School will fall victim to progress. Perhaps there’s still hope that the land will be used for something much more pleasant than *another* development of Mc Houses.

- Ember, 2004