Dobbs Ferry will restore headstones in Little White Church Cemetery

August 25, 2022

By Rick Pezzullo—

The Dobbs Ferry board agreed earlier this month to spend up to $9,800 to restore headstones in the historic Little White Church cemetery.

Ashford Ave Cemetery. has existed since the early 1800s and houses the graves of at least 10 Civil War veterans. Burials at the cemetery took place from the early 1800s to the late 1880s.

The cemetery has been owned by the village since the 1960s. Prior to that, it was owned by the Southern Presbyterian Church.

Over the years the cemetery has fallen into disrepair and many headstones have broken and been moved. No work has taken place at the cemetery for more than five years, according to Linda Borkow, trustee of the Dobbs Ferry Historical Society.

On July 14, Borkow, along with village administrator Melissa Ferraro and Ellen Klein, another Historical Society administrator, met at Historic Gravestone Services’ Ta Mara Conde Cemetery in New Salem, Mass.

“We have preference for the rows to the west and for the installation of headstones that were laid in 2014 but never restored,” Borkow wrote in an Aug. 7 note.

On August 16, the board approved a contract with Historic Gravestone Services for the restoration of 14 headstones by May 30, 2023.

Meanwhile, at the same meeting, the board agreed to spend $10,000 on a consultant to conduct an analysis of the current parking operation in the village.

Laybel Consulting, LLC will submit a proposal to Village officials that will include a comprehensive review of the Village’s parking system “from a management and parking perspective,” according to the resolution passed.

Recommendations will cover elimination of redundancy, cost savings, cost-sharing opportunities, guidance on wayfinding and signage, and integration of green initiatives and smart technologies.

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