Oak Hill Cemetery
Why it's listed
Set on rolling ground south of NY 81 at the edge of the Catskill hamlet of Oak Hill, this 5.6-acre cemetery began as the burial place of Lucas DeWitt, who died in 1820, and his wife Deborah, who died in 1822. The DeWitts were early settlers, and their family farm gave way to a burial ground that quickly served the wider community. Roughly six hundred markers record more than one thousand burials, from plain limestone slabs of the early period to large nineteenth-century obelisks and plain modern granite stones. Those interred include settlement families such as the Utter, Plank, Tripp, Farmer and Flower families, veterans of several wars, and local industrialists and merchants. The grounds are informally divided into four sections by terrain and age of burials, with oak trees lining a ridge above Catskill Creek and mountain views beyond. Still in use and surrounded by working farmland, the cemetery was listed for its link to the settlement and growth of Oak Hill and Durham, with significance dated 1820 to 1960.
Significance in brief: The cemetery is significant for its association with the settlement and growth of Oak Hill and the town of Durham. It grew from the DeWitt family burial ground into a community cemetery that records the origins, intermarriages and ethnicity of local residents from settlement to the mid-twentieth century. It also retains outstanding integrity of setting, still surrounded by active farmland.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 11000274, listed May 11, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NY 81, Oak Hill |
|---|---|
| County | Greene County |
| Listed | May 11, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000274 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1820-1960 |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in active use for burials; the northwest section holds twentieth-century graves. Contains one contributing tool shed and one non-contributing modern shed. |
| Acreage | 5.6 |
| Coordinates | 42.41289, -74.16075 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 11000274.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q17040555
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.