Pine Plains Cemetery 200th Anniversary Celebration

On June 23, The Pine Plains Cemetery in Clay celebrated its 200th anniversary with a ceremony attended by over 60 people of all ages. Richard Williams, president of the Cemetery Association, hosted the ceremony with the Rev. Richard Yost rededicating the cemetery. The importance of the cemetery was acknowledged by County Legislator Casey Jordan, and representatives from the offices of State Assemblyman Don Miller and Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle.

Tours were given mainly to the 52 graves of Civil War Veterans buried at the cemetery with assistance of Sue Greenhagen. She is a Civil War Historian and daughter of a Union Veteran of the Civil War. Along with the tour, she discussed the little known facts of the War, such as, although 20,000 died in battle, 27,000 died of other causes. She emphasized to the audience that if they have anything related to the War, to contact their local historian. Of greatest importance are letters home and diaries.

Visitors are welcome any time, but for assistance, please contact the staff to make arrangements. Clay’s History can be found in the history of the Cemetery.

Dorothy Heller, Historian