Oakland Cemetery (Yonkers, New York)
Oakland Cemetery is located at 2 Saw Mill River Road in the Whitney Young section of Yonkers, New York. It was first established in around 1783 and was originally used to bury soldiers from the Revolutionary War operating under the name of St. John’s Burial Grounds. It belonged to St. John’s Parish. It was incorporated in 1875 and changed to Oakland Cemetery. In time graves from the Civil War also filled the cemetery, as did those of other settlers of Yonkers who died.
The cemetery is divided into two halves with a hill separating the western lower half from the eastern upper half. The eastern half borders on the Saw Mill River Parkway, while the western half borders on Saw Mill River Road, where all of the entrances are located. There are two entrance gates that are large enough for a vehicle to enter through and one other smaller entrance gate for pedestrian visitors.
Within the confines of the cemetery trespassers have vandalized many of the graves leaving constant chores for the caretaker, who lives on the property, as noted on the Yonkers Ghost Investigators website under the section for haunted locations listed in the history of Oakland Cemetery.
Therefore, it is no surprise there are rumors of Oakland Cemetery being haunted. Supposedly, three women in white are known to chase people out of the cemetery. They are believed to be near the hill towards the middle of the cemetery. Maybe they are just trying to keep out those who would disturb their resting place.
In late 2006, there was a photograph of two or three misty apparitions taken at the location where the women are rumored to be.
Notable Interments
- Joe Lapchick, Saint John's University basketball coach.
- Nicholas Timasheff, a Russian sociologist, professor of jurisprudence and writer.
External links
Coordinates: 40°56′23″N 73°52′50″W / 40.93972°N 73.88056°W