There's unrest at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Last  weekend, a couple visiting from Connecticut parked their Volkswagen Jetta on top of the grave of a 7-year-old girl in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, which draws thousands of visitors this time of year, attracted by the cemetery's historical significance and tours.

"What baffles us is why people would feel it’s OK to park on top of a grave anywhere, let alone here," said Jim Logan, the cemetery's superintendent for the past three years, who spotted and photographed the offending vehicle.  "Most people, when they’re parking a vehicle on the road, they keep it on the pavement; they don’t park on the adjoining neighbor’s lawn."

Halloween is big business in the Lower Hudson Valley and the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, as well as the weekend festivals held at the adjacent Old Dutch Church and Burial Grounds, which are presented by the Friends of the Old Dutch Church and Burial Grounds, are a couple of the major draws in the area. But some visitors, particularly over the last two years, have been exhibiting some less-than-ideal behavior, Logan said.

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So far this season, guests to the cemetery have parked in undesignated areas, cut off a funeral procession and carved graffiti into mausoleums and gravestones. One couple reportedly pulled alongside a hearse to yell at a funeral director for not moving quickly enough. Thursday morning, Logan discovered a bronze War of 1812 veteran's medallion had been stolen from Washington Irving's grave.

The last time Logan saw the medallion was in early October, but when he went to replace a flag on the grave Thursday, it was gone.

Things came to a head when, on Monday, the cemetery posted pictures of a few of the infractions on its Facebook page, posting along with them a message that read, in part, "Here at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery we’re as welcoming as we can be, considering the huge influx of visitors roaming our grounds during the month. Just one thing to keep in mind as you plan your visit: we expect all guests to treat the grounds and our deceased loved ones with the utmost respect."

Scores of people shared and commented on the post, most of whom were incensed by the perceived lack of respect.

"Downright disgusting and utterly disrespectful all the way around," wrote Don Vezina III. "These folks should be ashamed of themselves. Should've had those vehicles towed and impounded."

"So sad the lack or respect people have," Holly Renee posted.

"So sad. My family is buried there ... Please don't park on my Moms grave," Christa Brousseau wrote. "Thank you Sleepy Hollow for looking after all your residents."

Logan was quick to point out that most visitors act appropriately when coming to the historic site, which invites guests and offers guided tours during the day and by lantern-light at night.

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"The vast majority of our visitors are respectful," he said. "The majority of our visitors are here for the history of the place, as cemeteries really are for the living. Essentially it’s a living history; they preserve the history of a location and, in our case, we certainly do that."

During the Halloween season, the cemetery employs additional staffers and has additional signage directing traffic flow, but with the number of tourists visiting, Logan said it's impossible to supervise every guest.

"Or else we’d have a line of cars backed up on Route 9, causing a safety issue," he said, adding that there is street parking available from which people can walk to the cemetery.

When a visitor parks in an inappropriate spot, the cemetery's staff will note the car's make, model and license plate and will hold the owner accountable for any damage done to the cemetery or its markers. They also leave a notice for the vehicle's owner.

The violators, Logan said, are often tourists, not anyone visiting a gravesite.

"If someone has chosen to park on their deceased loved ones’ graves, we would be greatly surprised by that ... The ones we have spoken to have been casual visitors, not with anyone buried here."

The Old Dutch Church and Burial Grounds share a border with the cemetery, but Aubrey Hawes, president of the Friends of the Old Dutch Church, said they haven't noticed any problems at their site.

"I’m out there every weekend doing tours of the church and we’ve had none of those problems," Hawes, said. "But we’re much smaller so it’s very contained. We can see anyone that’s in the graveyard, practically."

The Friends of the Old Dutch Church hosts a weekly fundraising festival weekends in October, with the money being used to restore the property.

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"The two properties are so close together that they look like they’re one," Logan said. "So we definitely are pleased they are raising money to conserve their stones. We cooperate and collaborate and share resources when it comes to restoration of historic markers."

The Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is open to visitors weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and weekends from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and, with the exception of a trouble-making minority, Logan said it still welcomes guests.

"We truly feel that most of our visitors — the vast majority of our visitors — are respectful and are here to learn more about our history and, in the case where they have family in the area, their own family. We encourage that," he said. "Cemeteries are certainly for the living. They’re meant to memorialize and remember lives past."