Carmel
Bailey
Ballard-Barrett
Barrett
Belden
Carver
Cole
Crane
Fowler
Gilead
Gregory
Hill
Hughson
Kelley
Mt. Carmel Baptist
Old Baptist
Old Methodist
Old Presbyterian
Raymond Hill
Union Valley
Old Methodist Cemetery (a.k.a. Mahopac Methodist Episcopal Cemetery)
Carmel, NY
| Current Status: | Abandoned |
| Description: | Stones from the early 1800’s up till the 1960’s. "It is in pitiful condition, completely overgrown, stones down and large trees from outside the eastern edge having fallen down into the yard." - Buys, 1969. The "Mt. Hope" designation is an error; per Rev. Willett Porter, that church at German Flats is not associated with a cemetery. The Mahopac Methodist Church was at the cemetery. |
| GPS: | N41°22.894' W 073°43.362' |
| Location: | One block east of Lake Mahopac. |
| How To Access: | McMahon Place, behind the old church by St. John's School |
| Tax Map No.: | 65.17-1-31 |
| Owner of Record: | |
| Size & Use: | About 1 acre |
| Earliest Gravestone: | |
| Most Prominent: | |
| Current Condition: | |
| Maintained By: | Town of Carmel |
| Repairs Needed: | |
| Troy #: | 1O |
"Located within St. John’s Parish in Mahopac is an old cemetery. Though many think it is part of St. John’s, it has a long history even before the first church was built for the parish. In 1826 the Methodist Church was erected due to a reformation on behalf of the growth of the area of Putnam and the Hudson Valley. Presently there is no sign of the church except an open space where it once stood. A new church was then built at the corner of Route 6 and East Lake Blvd called the Lake Mahopac United Methodist Church.
The Church was torn down in the 1920s after a hundred years of use. Burials continued intermittently until the late 1940s with one last burial in 1969. A number of veterans from the Revolutionary and the Civil War era are buried there. In addition, many members of notable families, such as Baldwin, Shear, Wixson and Hitchcock are buried here.
The cemetery’s dimension of 220' x 150' was arranged into a grid system using string to create 10' x 10' blocks. Each block designated the location of gravestones, which were then drawn onto a map. Each stone was assigned a number and photographed. In order for the writings on the stones to become legible, the sun had to cast a shadow over the front of the stone. A mirror was used to reflect the light across the face of the stone creating a shadow effect that enhanced the engravings. Even stones in very poor condition could be deciphered with this method. A special effort was made to read the poetic inscriptions on the bottom of some stones. This was often very difficult, due to the small script and somewhat antiquated use of the language."
- Eagle Scout Project by Karl H. von Ahn, Troop 1, Mahopac, NY (6/00-3/02). All photos and text Karl H. von Ahn.
References: Pelletreau, pp.343-344; Fisher #40; Buys p.180; Van Ahn.
Click on a name below for photo of headstone and location in cemetary. A map of this cemetery layout can be viewed and printed by clicking here.