Please support the RHS Historic Cemetery Project

Rowayton is home to three historic cemeteries, whose interred include many of the hardworking people who made Rowayton the special place it is today. The Union Cemetery on Rowayton Avenue, the largest and youngest of the three, is owned and maintained by the Rowayton Union Cemetery Association. Sadly, the other two, the older Raymond and Hoyt-Bouton cemeteries, founded around the time of the American Revolution, have not been so fortunate and for many years have been in a state of neglect.

The RHS is currently working to remedy this situation. At the Raymond Cemetery, established by the Raymonds in 1782 for their family and friends, a group of volunteers has spent months cutting down saplings, removing branches, leaves and weeds, mowing the grass, and even unearthing old gravestones buried under years of accumulated debris. The volunteers are now working with a preservationist whose goal is to clean and restore the old headstones.

In another RHS sponsored cemetery revitalization project, Jake Raymond, a descendent of many of the town’s founders, finished doing a clean-up project at the Hoyt-Bouton Cemetery on Witch Lane as part of his Boy Scout Eagle Scout Project. The RHS hopes to bring the preservationist into that cemetery as well.

Without the continued efforts of the RHS and their volunteers, the future of the Raymond and Hoyt-Bouton Cemeteries is uncertain. If the trees and brush continue to grow unfettered, they will overtake the headstones, one by one, until the cemeteries all but disappear. Your contributions to the RHS can make a significant difference in preserving these important facets of Rowayton’s vibrant history. You can even earmark a donation specifically for cemetery restoration. Donations can be sent to the RHS, P.O. Box 106, Rowayton, 06853, earmarked “Cemetery Preservation.”