Group Plans Excavation at Historic Mt. Kisco Cemetery

An archeological group has received consent from Mount Kisco lawmakers to conduct an archeological dig at the St. Mark's/St. George's Cemetery.

The Village Board of Trustees voted unanimously at its meeting Monday, supporting the efforts of the Louis A. Brennan Chapter of the New York State Archeological Association. The group's members include Mount Kisco residents Laurie Kimsal and Susan Ross, who have been leading a restoration effort at the site, which is at the intersection of Route 117 and St Marks Place.

The purpose of the dig is to find artifacts from the Revolutionary War era and from Native American settlement, Kimsal told the trustees.

The dig is planned for the fall, Kimsal said, with weeks in October or November being considered. The excavation could go as deep as eight inches, Kimsal explained, based on past examples. The project itself would be in a section of the site in the former footprint of St. George's Church; none of the grave sites will be touched, Kimsal told the board.

According to a presentation given by Kimsal and Ross to the board in February, St. George's Church was built at the site in 1761 and played key roles during America's war for independence, including as a soldiers' hospital after the Battle of White Plains and for a court martial of Maj. Gen. Charles Lee after he was charged with disobeying orders at the Battle of Monmouth. George Washington, who met up with Comte de Rochambeau near the site in 1781 before a joint American-French journey to Virginia for the Battle of Yorktown, also used St. George's for supply storage.

St. George's was torn down in 1819 and replaced by St. Mark's Church in the early 1850s. St. Mark's had its own church on the site and also used the cemetery for burial. It remained at the site until 1911, when it moved to its current stone building near the intersection of Route 117 and Route 133. The cemetery's last new burial took place in 1940, according to Kimsal, with about 400 people be buried at the site. Mount Kisco's Methodist Church also accessed a portion of the cemetery for burial.
Members of the NYSAA chapter expressed interest in the idea after learning about the current restoration efforts, which have included site work visits in April and May and headstone cleaning.

“We think the cemetery itself is a true gem and to go one step further and to find out more, we think is really exciting,” Kimsal said.

Historical artifacts found elsewhere have included buttons, pottery, arrowheads, horse shoes and nails. The group would take any artifacts it finds back to its facility at Croton Point Park in Croton-on-Hudson. The village, which owns the cemetery, would retain ownership of the artifacts, Kimsal said.

Trustees praised the work being done for the property.

“Your enthusiasm is infectious,” said village Trustee Jean Farber.

Since site work began, flags and informational signs have also been posted to highlight veterans of several wars who are buried on the property. Additionally, Kimsal and Ross are seeking to raise about $5,000 for 12 grave stones near the site's front that are deemed to be “critical.”