Johnsontown, New York facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Johnsontown
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Johnsontown in 1895
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 Johnsontown
Location in New York
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| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Rockland |
| Town | Haverstraw |
Johnsontown was once a small community, or "hamlet," located in Stony Point, Rockland County, New York, in the United States. It's no longer a populated place today, but its history tells an interesting story about how communities can change over time.
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The Story of Johnsontown
Johnsontown began in the late 1700s. It was started by the Johnson brothers. They came to this mountain area to find wood. This wood was very important for building ships.
The hamlet stretched along what are now Lake Sebago and Lake Kanawauke. These lakes are in the western part of Harriman State Park. Johnsontown was the biggest community in that area managed by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission.
Pine Grove Cemetery: A Hidden History
Discovering an Old Burial Ground
Pine Grove Cemetery is a very old burial ground. It dates back to before the American Revolutionary War. This cemetery, about half an acre in size, was once in the middle of Johnsontown. Today, it is near Lake Sebago in Stony Point.
How Johnsontown Changed
In the 1920s and 1930s, Johnsontown and about a dozen other small communities were changed. The Palisades Interstate Park Commission removed homes, schools, churches, farms, and businesses. They turned the land into forests, meadows, lakes, and picnic areas.
Only a few stone foundations remained. These showed where buildings once stood. The cemetery was also left untouched. Today, many families who lived in Johnsontown now live in nearby towns. These include Stony Point, Tomkins Cove, and Fort Montgomery.
Secrets of the Headstones
The cemetery has a few large headstones. These were carved by a stonemason, someone who carves stone. Most of the other stones are smaller fieldstones. They are stuck upright in the ground. However, they have no names or dates carved on them. This means it's hard to know who is buried in most of the graves.
A future goal is to honor local military members buried there. These include veterans from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish–American War, and World War I.
Bringing History Back to Life
In 2014, Thom Schassler and Florence Anderson helped clean up the cemetery. Florence Anderson is a direct descendant of the Johnson family who founded the town. They are both members of the Historical Society of the Palisades Interstate Park.
They placed a blue and gold metal marker. It reads: "This cemetery is in the vanished hamlet of Johnsontown, settled in circa 1750. Earliest burial date 1826. 186 stones are here." They also cleared away a lot of overgrown plants. This helped uncover the ancient cemetery that had been hidden for many years.
