"THE THIRD STREET CEMETERY.

"In 1787, the then patroon, Vanderheyden, presented the village this piece of ground to be fenced and used as a public cemetery, and attached as a condition, that in case it should ever be used for any other purpose it should revert to himself or his heirs. We may mention in this connection that he also gave the village the ground at the foot of Fulton street, to be used as a shipyard. Both gifts were dictated by public spirit and a desire to see the little settlement succeed. This cemetery is the earliest burial site of which traces yet remain in the city. Until 1814, it was used as the main cemetery of the place, and at that date had become thickly studded with graves. The population had increased and settled around it, and it was resolved to lay out what is now known as the old Ida Hill Cemetery. The first person buried in the new cemetery was a man named Young at the date above mentioned. Then ensued a long period, in which the old cemetery was only ordinarily well cared for. At length, in 1840, a committee appointed by the Common Council, of which Henry Evarts was chairman, obtained the consent of the friends of those who had been buried there, to have the stones laid flat over the graves, and to level the ground. This was done at the instigation of the residents in the vicinity, who naturally wished to beautify the spot, and to remove from it the too evident appearance of a grave-yard. The work was done at the expense of these residents.

"WHO ARE BURIED THERE

"At this time many removed the remains of their friends to other cemeteries, but, of course, the great majority of the remains still abide in their old resting places. When the stones were laid flat, all those that had been damaged were put in as good condition as possible and then sodded over. Besides this, the southeast corner of the cemetery was raised to make it level with the rest of the surface. Nevertheless a walk through the ground will reveal many names of our most respected citizens and best families. The name of Benjamin Tibbits upon a broad and well preserved slab, reveals the resting place of an uncle of George M. Tibbits. Mrs. Rufus Richards was the mother of the widow of the lamented Dr. Bryan. Captain Truesdell is a name familiar to all our citizens over thirty years of age. Lewis Munn, many members of the McCoun family, the children of Benjamin Covell, the parents of the well known Captain Gregory, who were most excellent people, are sleeping there; all of those graves, with perhaps one exception, are marked with stones whose inscriptions are yet plainly legible. A throng of others, the foremost men and women of a former generation, are there as well, and a careful search would reveal many a name fraught with deep interest to lovers of the past.

"HOW THEY ARE HONORED

"Yesterday we saw a very nice quoit, which had been chipped off the gravestone of somebody's ancestor. The white marble showed where the little urchin-artist had carefully pounded off the edges to get it in shape. A neighbor informed us that the game of quoit-pitching had been going on during the morning and was very interesting. The little boys could not always refrain from swearing, but still if the spectator were not too particular in such small matters, he could not help becoming amused at the spirit and zest with which the game was conducted. We also saw in the southeast corner a place where the women in the adjoining alley, had been in the habit, during the past two years, of breaking through the fence and doing their washing, but this was, perhaps, not a very aristocratic portion of the old cemetery. Directly through the cemetery from the middle of the north side to the middle of the south side, a well beaten, rutted road had been formed over the soft mould, rich with the exhalations from a hundred graves.

"HOW IT HAPPENED.

"It seems that during the progress of building a sewer in the alley to the east, the customers of a livery stable and of a blacksmith's shop are cut off from all access to those places. These two tradesmen and other parties at first threatened to sue the city for all damages that might ensue to them. Subsequently, however, they were enabled to right themselves in an easier way. They had no difficulty in obtaining the key of the north gate from our city burial ground authorities and the result is as we have described. Since the cemetery has been opened, the boys from all directions have congregated to play in it. They complain that the trees prevent it from being a good base ball ground, but in other respects it is all they could wish.

"A large portion of our citizens who are interested in the cemetery are out of town, but already a storm is brewing that is likely to end in a thorough investigation of the matter and a prompt cessation of the nuisance."

"How Troy Treats Its Founders; Utilizing a Graveyard—The Last Possession of Our Ancestors Invaded—Pitching Gravestone Quoits in the Third Street Cemetery." Troy Daily Whig. September 13, 1871

"The work of disinterring the remains buried in the Third street burial ground, Troy, was commenced Monday, the first body removed being that of Mrs. Ruth Dauchy, who died in 1816. The ground is to be occupied by the new city building."

"City and Suburban News." Daily Albany Argus. July 14, 1875: 4 col 1.

"When the ground was chosen, in 1875, for the site of the City Hall, there were one hundred and fifty-six graves still there, many of the remains having been disinterred in previous years and buried in Mount Ida and Oakwood cemeteries. All the remains found in the plat now covered by the City Hall and the pavement were removed to Oakwood Cemetery at the expense of the city. Some of the graves between the building and the First Baptist Church were not opened. Those marked by tombstones were covered with them, and the enclosed space was then evenly sodded."

Weise, Arthur James. Troy's One Hundred Years, 1789-1889. Troy, NY: William H. Young, 1891. 92.