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Mill Street Cemetery project complete Pictured at the cemetery are Steve LeRoy, Sandy Hopkins, Daryl VerStreate, Amanda VerStreate, Dave Grosvenor, Jeanne Frey. About a year and a half ago it was brought to the attention of the Rochester Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) that the gravestones in the Old Mill Cemetery in Sodus had been pulled up and laid flush to the ground to be protected by vandals several years ago. Many of the stones marked the graves of people who were veterans of the Revolutionary, 1812 Wars. Most of their stones had sunk into the ground, many were cracked or otherwise damaged, and some were buried under years of decomposed grass clippings. A large portion of Sodus's early history was being lost. When Daryl Ver Streate, chairman of the Rochester Chapter's Graves Research Committee, brought this to the attention of the Chapter, the Board of Managers directed Chapter President, Steve Clarke, to investigate the situation and bring it to the attention of the proper local authorities. The situation fell squarely into the lap of Steve Leroy, Sodus Town Supervisor. He immediately saw the nature of the problem and set to work with the Rochester Chapter and the Sodus Town Historian, Sandy Hopkins, to correct it. The first thing that had to be done was to locate and uncover all of the old stones, clean them and record the data they had inscribed on them. This information was then compared to the data held by the Town Historian and the information held in SAR and DAR records in order to verify the accuracy of all of it. Of course, the information on the gravestones was given top priority. It was then necessary to determine which of the existing stones could be reinstalled and used and which could not. For those that were too badly damaged, new stones had to be ordered from the Veteran's Administration. The VA will supply at no charge a new or replacement marker for any veteran of any war in which the United States has participated. The markers can be horizontal slabs or vertical markers. Depending on the type of replacement marker obtained from the VA foundations may be necessary. Daryl VerStreate then set about ordering the 17 markers. Working with Steve Leroy again, it was arranged through the Sodus Town Highway Department to take delivery of the stones and to deliver them to the Old Mill Cemetery when all was prepared for their installation. The concrete bases were poured, and a work crew for installing the markers was organized. The crew consisted of Daryl VerStreate Jr., Amanda VerStreate, Sandy Hopkins, Steve Leroy, Dave Grosvenor, Holly Naused, Sodus Boy Scouts Troop 111, the Wayne County Probation Dept., Robert Mead, and other helpers. The installations were completed on 1 September 2006. It was a big job as the stones weighed a total of 2,210 pounds. A formal dedication ceremony is planned for the spring. The Rochester Chapter of the SAR has restored some of Sodus's early history and is appreciative of the help from Sodus officials. History is precious. Information by Daryl VerStreate and Jeanne Frey Copyright
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