On the south side of Montauk Hwy in Bridgehampton sits a quiet, pretty little cemetery which contains several rather interesting sites.
The first interesting thing of note is that the Poxabogue Evergreen Cemetery is the final resting place of James Jones (11/6/1921-5/9/1977), the author of such novels as "From Here to Eternity", "The Thin Red Line", "Some Came Running", and "Whistle". Buried beside him is his wife, Gloria Jones, who before marrying James in 1957 was a movie stand-in for Marilyn Monroe in "The Seven Year Itch" and for Eva Marie Saint in "On the Waterfont". Gloria was also a dance partner of Arthur Murray on his television show which aired in the 1950's.
The second interesting site in this cemetery can be found at N 40 56.448 W 072 16.709. It is a double headstone for two little girls who, based on the limited information I could find in my research, were cousins. You will find Betsey Howell, daughter of Stephen & Zipporah Howell, and Catherine Peirson, daughter of Nathan and Hannah Peirson, laying side by side in their eternal slumber under a rather unique grave marker (or at least I don't believe I've ever seen one like this before). Sadly, both girls were extremely young (Betsey was 4 years, 5 months and 5 days & Catherine was 3 years, 1 month and 12 days) when they died only a day apart in 1794, believed to have been the victims of the same childhood illness. (If you pay attention to the headstone, you'll see that it seems there was a mistake in the engraving of Betsey's name, and the letter "s" is actually resting above the rest of her name.)
The third, and potentially the most interesting site to be found in this cemetery is at N 40 56.416 W 072 16.702. Here, you will find an enclosed semi-circle with a simple wooden marker at the outer edge of the barrier. This sign contains only 12 small words, but the emotional force behind these words is staggering (or at least to me it is.) The sign reads: IN MEMORY OF THE POOR AND THE EX-SLAVES WHO ARE BURIED HERE. Who knows how many souls are buried in this ground, their names forever forgotten? Something about this place speaks to me on a deep, spiritual level, and I like to come to this spot whenever possible, to think about those whose stories and memories have unfortunately been lost. I hope maybe you'll do the same...
This cache is NOT hidden near any of the graves. PLEASE keep in mind that this is a cemetery, and be respectful during your visit. You're looking for a bison, with room only for the log. Please be sure to bring your own pen. Please make sure you replace the cache exactly as you found it so it stays safe.
Happy caching!
**9/20/22 UPDATE: Replaced the hide with a unique micro container tucked away in the original hiding spot. Same coordinates apply. Please replace carefully where found so it stays put. Hopefully this one fares a bit better...