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THE BRONX TIMES REPORTER V.I.M.
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church’s churchyard is directly adjacent to the land some believe contains more
unmarked graves from an old Quaker cemetery. Schneps Media / Patrick Rocchio
Grave concerns over housing site
BY PATRICK ROCCHIO
Grave concerns have
arisen at a proposed affordable
housing development
site.
A descendent of one of
the founding families of the
Bronx has written to the
Episcopal Bishop of New
York expressing his concern
that his great-great-grandmother
and other ancestors
may be buried in vacant
parcel of land next to St. Peter’s
Church’s cemetery in
Westchester Square.
The church wants to
lease the property to a private
developer who intends
to build an 11-story affordable
housing complex on the
parcel.
John Arnow, whose family
name is memorialized
on Arnow Avenue and once
owned Arnow Mansion on
Williamsbridge Road, has
located documents that may
contain a list of individuals
interred at the site along
with a hand-drawn map of
the Quaker Burial Ground.
These recently found
papers purportedly prove
that there were indeed interments
at Quaker/Fox
Cemetery that fall within
the planned development’s
footprint.
Arnow’s documents provide
a comprehensive list of
scores of burials, and a map
that appears to show the
burial area for two different
Quaker meeting houses that
once used the property.
However, the documents
do not identify the exact locations
of the burial sites,
said Arnow.
Arnow said he is requesting
DNA testing on all
remains found at the location,
adjacent to St. Peter’s
Church churchyard at 2500
Westchester Avenue, during
the excavation.
In a letter sent to the
Right Reverend Andrew ML
Dietsche, of the Episcopal
Diocese of New York, Arnow
states that while it would
be great for the church to
develop the land if it were
vacant, his genealogical research
indicates otherwise.
“The future plans to lease
the Quaker/Fox Burial Plot
south of St. Peter’s Church
for a large construction
project, is based on the assumption,
the ‘hope’ that
there are no bodies buried
in the Quaker/Fox Cemetery,”
stated Arnow, adding
“However, this assumption,
that the Quaker/Fox
Cemetery land is vacant,
is a false assumption and
the enclosed copies of documents
and records that I am
providing you prove so.”
As previously reported
in the Bronx Times, according
to the parish, tests on
the ground known to the
community as ‘lot 6’ were
conducted and indicated
that there were no bodies
buried there.
A spokesman for the
Episcopal Diocese, Nicholas
Richardson, said it plans to
review Arnow’s documents
but couldn’t offer more comment
without further investigation.
He said that the Episcopal
Church wouldn’t develop
the land if it is determined
to be a cemetery.
He also said that the
bishop would have to sign
off on any projects undertaken
by its parishes.
St. Peter’s Church developed
the housing proposal
at the parish level.
Richardson confi rmed
that the parish has received
Arnow’s letter and his supporting
documents.
Jason Labate, the parish
lawyer, released a statement
on the latest news:
“St. Peter’s takes its responsibility
as the steward
of its cemetery and surrounding
land very seriously,”
it read. “The bishop
has forwarded Mr. Arnow’s
documents to the parish.
“The correspondence is
voluminous and we are giving
its review due care. In
the meantime, we continue
to work with Landmarks
and archeological professionals
to ensure that we
are meeting our responsibilities
as care-taker and
stewards of the cemetery.”
At its general board
meeting on Thursday, June
20, Matt Cruz, Community
Board 10 district manager,
said that Arnow had
reached out to him and that
the offi ce was in conversation
on the matter.
Arnow added that he has
requested a copy of a 1920s
deed from the NYC Department
of Buildings that stipulates
that St. Peter’s had to
maintain the Quaker land
as a cemetery.
/news:“St
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