Last Saturday, May 3, the Town of North Hempstead hosted a Community Clean-Up for the historic Townsend Cemetery in East Hills.
The town received a $40,000 FEMA grant to assist with the cleanup and restoration of the cemetery, a private burying ground, located on what was formerly the Willis Family farm. A total of 34 people were buried there from 1790 to 1894, including several of the first families who settled on Long Island. The cemetery and its access road off of Northern Boulevard have been abandoned since the early 1900s.
The Townsend Cemetery is located in the Village of East Hills, and straddles two townships. The burying ground is in the Town of North Hempstead and access to the cemetery lies in the Town of Oyster Bay.
According to town historian Howard Kroplick, when the area was annexed by East Hills in 1961, the land was cleaned and fenced off by the village. However, the property has not been maintained for over 50 years due to its unknown ownership. In recent years, access to the cemetery has been blocked from its North Hempstead Turnpike entrance by overgrown brush trees. According to New York State law, both towns are responsible for the care and maintenance of the abandoned cemetery. In April 2014, Kroplick, an East Hills resident created a walking path for local residents to enjoy.
Kroplick said that the cemetery contains nine known headstones and two footstones, which are currently visible. Besides the Willis and Townsend families, other families buried there include the Horsfields, Jacksons and Boerems. It is currently being used as a drop off for landscaping debris.
— Submitted by the Town of North Hempstead
