Community Corner

Video: Take a Tour of East Hampton's Oldest Cemetery

A walking tour was held of the South End Burial Ground.

On a weekend America's history is celebrated, East Hampton Town Crier Hugh King led a group of curious history-philes through the town's oldest cemetery, the South End Burying Ground in the heart of the village.

King regaled participants with stories of East Hampton's original and most prominent families, giving a history lesson that included tales of war, love and American firsts.

Along the walking tour on Saturday morning, King shared tidbits of gossip over 200 years old, including an older minister with a 17 year old wife, a Thomas Jefferson-esque affair, and a documented encounter with a witch.

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The tour group was shown the final resting place of a son of President John Tyler, a Jewish family that became prominent church patrons, and the crew of a Montauk Point shipwreck as well. King also introduced walkers to the first female publisher in East Hampton, several patrons of the arts, war heroes, and pioneers of education.

Most of the grave stones date back to the late 19th century, though a large portion were erected during the Revolutionary War. Some stones even stretch back to the late 17th century.

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The tour, of course, took place in the morning, so the tour could avoid the witch that haunted settler Lion Gardiner's family just across the street.


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