Although I have a reputation as a photographer of watery situations, I have spent many years driving around this area, enjoying what I see, be it mountains, wildflowers or trees. Often my mother would come with me and we’d make many stops by a roadside to have a closer look at plants or to bring a specimen home in my plant press (if there were enough to spare) for further identification. Always my camera at hand.
Crossett Cemetery
We came across 2 areas as yet unexplained to us. The first is on Trout Pond Road, maybe a couple of miles in from Rte 9. I saw a sign saying Crossett Cemetery. There were two small tombstones. They were a bit hard to read due to deep shadows with bright sunlight. One is Eran Crossett, Jan 16, 1857, 30 yrs, 5 mos. The other is James D. Crossett, Jan 31, 1857.
The rest on both stones is yet to be deciphered. Between them is a recently planted American flag.
Steele Woods Road Tombstone
On another occasion of our drives, we were on Steele Woods Road, between NYS Route 9N and Brainard’s Forge Road. (It is closer to Brainard Forge Rd than Rte 9N.)
My eye was caught by a gray something up on a berm on the edge of the road. Closer looks made it out to be the back of a tombstone. This one is looked after, as small American flags seem to be added each year for at least the past three or four years. This one is J.E. Terry, died March 1, 1842, 51 yrs.
Nothing in the surrounding area gave a hint of who this person was or why this location.
I would love to know the history of these people and why their stones are where they are. Until then, they sleep on…
Sleepers Gallery
View the full gallery of photographs from both sites.
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I used to swim in the Boquet, just off Steele Woods Rd.- We passed the original tombstone for years on our way to the swimming hole. Eventually it was vandalized and the stone in your picture replaced it. Probably in the mid-to-late 80’s. My mother found some information about Mr. Terry as I recall. I don’t know where this information came from- perhaps from a newspaper story of the time related to the replacement of the stone. Seems I recall that Mr. Terry was a lumberman killed on the river. I can’t imagine the Boquet high enough to move logs but this was the story as I recall.