Woodstock Cemeteries - Remarkable Lives

Woodstock has a remarkable history carried by remarkable people. From artists to local heroes and heroines, these people are scattered throughout time. Many of them, however, now rest together in Woodstock’s cemeteries.

Though a burial ground might not be the first place one would think to visit in Woodstock, the town’s cemeteries are rich with history and provide a peaceful retreat on the outskirts 

of local bustle. 

The Woodstock Cemetery

The Woodstock Cemetery is on Rock City Road, just past the Colony. The cemetery slopes up a hill, bared open to the view of Overlook Mountain. Founded in the 1830s, the cemetery is host to a number of famous locals as well as notable artists. A multitude of stories can be found in the lives of those memorialized there.

Catherine Van Debogart

On the crest of the hill, a cracked headstone leaning against a tree bears the name of Catherine Van Debogart and her infant child. An old Woodstock legend goes that one night, coming home late from a sick friend’s house, Catherine met her husband waiting for her outside their home. An abusive man, controlling and jealous, he beat her senseless with a switch from an elm tree. Bore quickly away by friends, the dying Catherine pled with her friends to be buried with the elm tree switch, so that the stick might grow out of her coffin and bloom over her grave. She died in childbirth, and her baby was born dead. As she wished, she was buried with both baby and switch.

Mysteriously, an elm tree did soon spring from the gravesite. For years, the tree gave testament to her story, until a storm cracked the headstone and sent it hurtling down the hill. Townspeople attempted to determine the original location of her grave, but were unsure, and so propped the poor stone against another sprouting tree.

The elm tree legend has carried on through the years; it is the oldest and most treasured in Woodstock.

“It’s a story of humanity,” said local historian Janine Fallon-Mower.

Levon Helm

Obviously, the Woodstock Cemetery has a number of artists in it. Levon Helm, drummer and vocalist for the Band, is buried to one side of the cemetery. 

Levon Helm’s history with Woodstock spans decades. He credits Bob Dylan with first introducing him to the town in the mid 1960s. Levon’s group began playing around town, and Woodstockers simply called them “the band.” The name caught on.

Levon built his barn in 1975 as an avenue for artists, and the studio still stands and thrives today. 

Levon found his home in Woodstock, and the town loved him back. A little fence stands behind his grave, decorated with music notes. Candles, painted rocks, and drumsticks adorn his stone.

Rick Danko

Rick Danko, another member of the Band, is not far from his friend Levon. Small trinkets and flags also lovingly decorate his stone.

Woodstock Artists Cemetery

Woodstock has a cemetery entirely devoted to artists. Founded in 1934, the Woodstock Artists Cemetery is by no means one of Woodstock’s oldest, but those resting there reflect the town’s artistic orientation. The cemetery is just around the corner from the Woodstock Cemetery. A little ways down Mountain View Rd, the small Evergreen Cemetery slants up a hill to a light cluster of trees. The Artists Cemetery is hidden behind the trees, on the other side of the hill. 

Dr. James T. Shotwell

At the top of the hill is a monument to Dr. James T. Shotwell, historian and statesperson.  Dr. Shotwell traversed the world on international affairs and was nominated in 1952 for the Nobel Peace Prize. Despite his worldwide roamings, he always returned home to Woodstock.

Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead

The memorial at the foot of the hill honors Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead, who founded the Byrdcliffe art colony in 1902, bringing the first flock of artists into Woodstock. Ralph was an Englishman, but he came to the U.S. to search for the ideal location for his art colony. He discovered Woodstock—the lush forests, Overlook Mountain, the little hamlet—and stayed even after planting his colony.

Hervey White

Hervey White, found on the face of the hill below Dr. Shotwell’s monument, was part of Ralph’s Byrdcliffe crew. After a falling out with Ralph, however, Hervey began his own colony, the Maverick. Sometimes referred to fondly as the first hippie, Hervey was a kind and gentle man, an author, an artist, and an advocate for women’s rights—a maverick in his day.

Howard Koch

Playwright and screenwriter Howard Koch is at the bottom of the hill. The Kingston native worked on the infamous 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast that terrified a number of Americans. He also wrote screenplay of Casablanca and received an Academy Award for it. The Warner Brothers later blacklisted him during the Red Scare. Ostracized in the U.S., Howard lived in Europe for awhile, then moved back to Ulster County and lived in Woodstock.

Albert Grossman Memorial

Albert Grossman’s grave is marked behind the Bearsville Theatre. Benches scattered throughout the clearing behind the theatre lead up to a sort of garden. Albert Grossman’s gravestone is in front, nestled in the greenery.  Smaller rock memorials also line the garden, including a sort of stone bear, as “The Bear,” Albert’s nickname.

Albert managed such artists as Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and briefly, the Band. He remains somewhat of a mystery man to this day—he could be a tyrant to those he worked with, and he could also be a loving mentor. But he changed Woodstock. His home in Bearsville caused the artists he managed to float over to Woodstock, and his Bearsville Theatre has become a vibrant outlet for art.

The Woodstock Cemetery, the Albert Grossman Memorial, and the Artists Cemetery hold treasured lives—lives that gave to the world, and lives that gave to Woodstock.  The flat stones bearing their names tell nothing of their lives—yet in the cemeteries, the stones are a lasting testimony to their home, Woodstock. It is worth visiting one of Woodstock’s cemeteries to explore and meditate on the lives memorialized there.

Article by Maya Schubert

Photos by Lynda Herbeck