Long Lost Revolutionary War Cemetery Rediscovered In Augusta
In the summer of 2021, a couple who had been looking at a piece of property in Augusta when they made an interesting discovery... A VERY old cemetery!
What fallows is that story from August of 2021.
Anyone who has driven along Riverside Drive in Augusta has probably noticed how thick the woods are on the river side of the road. Behind nearly house on that road is a sever hundred feet wide strip of forest that runs down to the Kennebec River.
And, considering that the area has been inhabited for hundreds of years by both the Native Americans and the European settlers, it should not be surprise that those woods would hide some amazing finds. Old artifacts, the remnants of buildings, even a graveyard!
According to the KJ, those woods really do conceal a 220 year old cemetery.
Reportedly, the cemetery was recently rediscovered by Augusta's Justin Vogel. Justin and his wife Amanda were looking into buying a historic house on Riverside Drive. After reviewing the documents, he discovered that the city had right-of-way to the cemetery. As a result, he decided to walk into the woods to check it out.
What he found amazed him. The graveyard contains just under 50 grave markers, some of which date back to the Revolutionary War-era. The earliest gave marker dates back to 1801. And, it appears, the most recent was 1910. One of the more notable markers was for Robert Deniston, a veteran of the Revolutionary War. One of the other notable markers was for Henry Lyon, a soldier killed at the Battle of Gettysburg.
At this point, the hope is that the City of Augusta is planning to build a path to the cemetery. That way, the cemetery can be maintained and visitors can make their way to the cemetery to pay their respects.
Until that path can be built, the cemetery remains closed to the public. So, if you know where it is, please steer clear until it is open to the public.