Dobbs Ferry to Restore Grave Markers at Little White Church Cemetery

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August 25, 2022

By Rick Pezzullo—

The Dobbs Ferry Board of Trustees agreed earlier this month to spend up to $9,800 to restore grave markers at the historic Little White Church Cemetery.

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The cemetery on Ashford Ave. has been in existence since the early 1800’s and holds the graves of at least 10 Civil War veterans. The burials in the cemetery took place from the early 1800’s to the late 1880’s.

The cemetery has been owned by the village since 1960’s. Prior to that, it was the property of the South Presbyterian Church.

Over the years, the cemetery has fallen in disrepair with many of the gravestones breaking and being displaced. No work has taken place at the cemetery for more than five years, according to Linda Borkow, a trustee with the Dobbs Ferry Historical Society.

On July 14, Borkow, along with Village Administrator Melissa Ferraro and Ellen Klein, another trustee with the Historical Society, met at the cemetery with Ta Mara Conde of Historic Gravestone Services from New Salem, Mass.

“We have preference to the rows to the west and to installing some gravestones that had been laid in place in 2014 but were never restored,” Borkow wrote in an August 7 memo.

On August 16, the Board of Trustees approved a contract with Historic Gravestone Services to restore 14 grave markers on or before May 30, 2023.

Meanwhile, at the same meeting, the Board of Trustees agreed to spend $10,000 to a consultant to conduct an analysis of the current parking operation in the village.

Laybel Consulting, LLC will submit a proposal to village officials that will include a complete review of the village’s parking system from “a management and parking perspective,” according to the adopted resolution.

Recommendations will cover the elimination of redundancy, cost savings, cost sharing opportunities, guidance on wayfinding and signage, and incorporating green initiatives and smart technology.

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