Hole dug to investigate an anomaly found by ground-penetrating radar. (Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot) Posted on 08/26/2016 5:34:11 AM PDT by SJackson
General George Washington (Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images) Is America’s largest Revolutionary War graveyard about to be transformed into an International House of Pancakes? Concerned citizens fear it is.Hole dug to investigate an anomaly found by ground-penetrating radar. (Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot)
Established by George Washington in New York’s Hudson Valley, the Fishkill Supply Depot was essential to the Revolutionary Army and both visited and utilized by Washington, Alexander Hamilton, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Baron von Steuben. More importantly, the National Park Service proclaimed it “the largest burial ground for Revolutionary War soldiers in the country,” with Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot President Lance Ashworth noting that hundreds of Revolutionary War soldiers may be buried there.
Postcard showing the original placement of the Daughters of the American Revolution monument at the corner of Route 9 and Van Wyck Lake Road in Fishkill, New York, circa 1907. (Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot)
The actual number might never be determined, however, because it’s on the verge of becoming the home of Continental Commons, a “planned 18th-century colonial village” that will “function as a commercial, social, and educational center,” with a focus on shopping and restaurants. (Ashworth says that at various Town Planning Board meetings, the developer indicated his intention to build an IHOP restaurant on site.)
Archaeologists William Sandy and Antonella Inserra dig a grave shaft while Paula Crowley works the tripod sifter. (Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot)
The Commons wants to develop 10.47 acres: currently, a mere .25 of an acre is to be left untouched in tribute to the soldiers who died fighting for America’s independence.
Photo taken at Wreaths Across America event: It was moved from the gravesite to the grounds of the Van Wyck Homestead after the owner refused to allow the event on his property. (Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot)
Local citizens formed Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot to resist the development until full archaeological studies can be completed. As Ashworth, who graduated from nearby West Point, puts it: “Nobody truly knows what’s at the site right now, and if development occurs, we’ll never know.”
Photo of the burial ground taken after the conclusion of the 4th annual Revolutionary War Weekend. 60 flags were placed to represent the 60 soldiers identified by the research team up to that point. (Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot)
Read more about (and potentially contribute to) their efforts here, and see more photos of the site below. At the bottom find a video of the Hunter Research, Inc. report “Fishkill – Military Supply Hub of the Revolutionary War: A Historical and Archaeological Overview,“ explaining the significance of Fishkill and why it should be preserved, as well as a second video of a wreath-laying ceremony to pay tribute to those who gave their lives for our nation.
Tell them that it is an old Indian burial ground. That will bring it to a screeching halt.
Just made a visit to the grave of Private Joseph Plumb Martin, revolutionary soldier and memoir-writer, who is buried in a Protestant cemetery in Maine.
An IHOP in the trees ?
Isn’t that racist ....:o)
True.
There are other hallowed sites from the Revolutionary war that deserve respect...
Howard’s Tavern in Brooklyn comes to mind. Now, covered with street pavement or car depots.
I'd boycott IHOP but since I never eat there...
“Pretty disgusting if true.”
To say the least. Sickening in fact.
It's not the graves that are being desecrated, but the Nation. America is suffering the death of a thousand cuts; every abuse is making people more indifferent to their history and already patriotism is held in derision in certain quarters.
I ate at one the other day. I hadn’t eaten at an IHOP since I worked on the road in the late 90’s.
I spent the next 24 hours in the bathroom. It is a shame I didn’t have a colonoscopy the next day. I did all of the nasty work without any benefit.
IHOP - home of the one legged waitress.
IHOP?
Good luck with that.
If you’re ever traveling across I-84 through Fishkill, stop at the Red Line Diner.
You can thank me later.
And, of course, we should protect these burial sites from development. There’s plenty of room for everything we need.
filmed at noontime on Dec 10 ,2011 at the Revolutionary War Soldiers' gravesite - when Wreaths were placed at 600 Cemeteries across the Country at noontime as part of the "Wreaths Across America" memorial service to remember our serviceman and servicewomen from all of our Wars. . . . Judy Lynch Wolf in period dress lays the first wreath as do Tracy Wolf and others from the 5th New York Regiment. The loud reports from the is distorted by the small microphone on the camera. It was quite impressive. Again, unfortunately, the microphone picks up the sound of the traffic roaring past on Route 9, and the wind also at times. Lance Ashworth, makes a short speech, several wreaths are placed at the Revolutionary War Soldiers' "Cemetery", Alison MacAvery, Dutchess County Legislator, representing Fishkill, and yours truly, as president of the Fishkill Historical Society make short speeches. Members of the 5th NY Regiment re-enactors fire their muskets in a Salute to their fallen comrades. (Three of them have relatives buried at the Burial Site, and also one of the spectators also - who happens to live up Van Wyck Lake road).
Alas, nothing is sacred anymore. Tun Tavern once stood at a location now occupied by Interstate 95.
Semper Fi
“America is suffering the death of a thousand cuts; every abuse is making people more indifferent to their history and already patriotism is held in derision in certain quarters.”
Sadly, you are right on.
But if sadness doesn’t give way to outrage soon, our fundamental transformation will be irreversible.
Thousands of revolutionary war dead are buried in a park behind Independence Hall in Philadelphia...
They built a mall on the site of the Fishkill Depot itself, basically destroying that important Revolutionary War archaeological site. I haven’t been up there in years but last time I saw it, the mall was pretty much abandoned, I hear there is a Home Depot there now.
Describing it as a cemetery being replaced by an IHOP is ridiculous, but apparently very effective. I wouldn’t’ve thought Freepers were so gullible for media bias. It makes sense for an archeological museum to include food service, but this is primarily an archaeological museum.
So far, three sets of remains have been discovered at the site, but it was never a cemetary. There may be more. The story makes it seem like the 10-acre site will be covered over by an IHOP-based strip mall, forever preventing archaeological research. The reality is that the site was chosen FOR the archaeological research.
It could be the largest Revolutionary War cemetery? That’s a little bit like finding a flake of gold in a river bed and declaring it COULD be the largest gold mine in the world. Do you really think that most Revolutionary War dead were simply dug into the ground of a supply depot?
The site of any permanent structure MUST thoroughly searched. And it makes sense for 3rd party citizens to keep a tight eye on things. But to fundamentally mischaracterize an historical museum as an IHOP betrays that something else sinister (and probably leftist) is at foot, here.
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