To the Fishkill Town Board, there was no question of whether there was a historical burial ground at the corner of Van Wyck Lake Road and U.S. Route 9. The question was whether that burial ground housed the remains of Revolutionary War soldiers or members of the Van Wyck family.
That determination would carry extra weight for a planned development project at the site.
The burial ground sits on the property of the proposed Continental Commons — the Colonial-themed commercial development that has been in the works for over a decade — which is expected to include shops, a restaurant, a hotel and historically-themed replica elements.
Public access to a Revolutionary War burial ground on the property, owned by developer Domenic Broccoli, would have to be provided as part of the project plan, according to town documents from June 2019.
At a May 13 meeting, town officials put the question to a vote.
Fishkill Town Supervisor Ozzy Albra, called the special town board meeting to present to the board, residents and those from the Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot in attendance his argument for why the approximately 0.4-acre site is a Revolutionary War burial ground.
In the end, the Town of Fishkill unanimously voted on a resolution declaring and dedicating a Revolutionary War Soldiers Burial Ground, and for those residents at the board meeting, it appeared to be a momentous occasion.
However, Continental Commons is standing firm that the town’s resolution is only commemorative in nature, according to spokesperson Greg Lane, and does not actually confirm the burials were soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War.
“Continental Commons has always believed that the history of the Fishkill Supply Depot deserves to be preserved, studied, and shared accurately with future generations. The project’s preservation efforts, interpretive education, historic architecture, walking trails and living museum concepts are intended to help tell the true story of the Fishkill Supply Depot and honor the American Revolutionary War patriots connected to this region — including those buried within the Village of Fishkill, at Rombout Rural Cemetery, and at Clove Valley. We believe history should be preserved through facts, education, and respect for all those who contributed to our nation’s founding,” Broccoli said in a statement.
Why the town has declared, dedicated this site a Revolutionary War burial ground
After Albra cited numerous historical sources — the earliest from 1860-1882 and continuing through the 20th century and up to 2009 — and a discussion was held, the board passed the resolution.
Albra, in his presentation, also noted other alleged locations of the burial ground, such as the Rombout Rural Cemetery at 1571 state Route 52 and the Trinity Episcopal Church at 1200 Main St.
However, the consistencies within the historical sources Albra pointed to helped lead councilmembers Jacqueline Bardini and Greg Totino to their decision to vote for the site’s declaration and dedication as a Revolutionary War Soldiers Burial Ground.
Fishkill’s economic struggle, Bardini said, and their resulting inability to provide clothing to soldiers, may have led soldiers’ uniforms to be reused out of necessity, leading to soldiers being buried without clothing and a resulting lack of physical evidence, like finding artifacts such as buttons.
Greg Totino and Bardini also argued that a wealthy family like the Van Wycks could afford expensive headstones for their graves. Totino said at his church, the First Reformed Church of Fishkill, at the corner of routes 52 and 9, many Van Wyck family members are buried, all with individual gravestones.
Plus, Totino and Bardini both said high rates of infant and child mortality and the lack of mention of children buried in historical sources suggests the site is not a family burial ground.
Other council members, including Don Przytula and Brain Wrye, argued they both don’t want to take any chances. Even if there is only one soldier buried there who fought in the American Revolution, that individual deserves the dignity and to be commemorated.
“For me, this vote is not about politics, publicity or the upcoming 250th anniversary celebrations,” Wrye said. “It’s about exercising caution and respect where human remains and historically sensitive ground may exist.”
Local archeologist chimes in: He feels the declaration, dedication is the start
Following the resolution, Archeologist Bill Sandy and member of the Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot said he’s feeling hopeful, but the work is “far from complete.”
The Fishkill Supply Depot, located near the Van Wyck Homestead in Fishkill, was a strategic center of the American Revolution established by General George Washington in October 1776, according to the Fishkill Historical Society’s website.
The supply depot served as a hub for storing and distributing supplies until the end of the war in November 1783. Over 2,000 Continental Army soldiers were trained in Fishkill and in the barracks of the supply depot encampment, another 2,000 soldiers, craftspeople and supporters were housed year round.
Sandy said he was at the site when the first graves were found in 2007, but feels after 18 years a headstone or monument should be there and access should be given to potential descendants of these soldiers to visit.
But he also pointed to to public access as well, stating “we are related patriotically, emotionally, culturally, to these people — they are literally our forefathers.”
On the Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot website, there is a list of 88 soldiers from the Continental Army who “are presumed buried” at the site, Sandy said.
Where Continental Commons stands on the burial ground
Based on the archeological evidence Continental Commons has received, while there are burials located on the property, the developers claim it is unknown who is buried there.
According to a letter provided by Continental Commons from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the official in short said while burials undoubtedly exist at the Fishkill Supply Depot, there is unreliable evidence when determining how many graves are there, who is buried there and the full extent of the site.
As per an archeological report by PaleoWest Archaeology from April 2017, provided by Continental Commons, the site’s boundaries were later clearly defined, according to comment from NYS OPRHP.
PaleoWest uses the language “Revolutionary-era burial ground” to describe the site, and it requires preservation, but also stated other structures, archaeological features and artifacts found outside the burial ground, nearby the site, cannot be definitively dated to the Revolutionary War or to later agricultural use.
Why has Continental Commons not broken ground yet?
There are many things delaying Continental Commons from beginning development, according to Lane.
However, the most notable include ongoing litigation originally filed in 2021, a June 2025 pre-litigation letter from the Friends of Fishkill Supply Depot and roadblocks from the town.
The ongoing case is a land-use civil rights case filed by Continental Commons developers claiming the town and officials illegally blocked a development project for political reasons, violating constitutional rights.
A pre-litigation letter involves the FOFSD threatening to sue the Town of Fishkill, claiming officials wrongly signed off on the Continental Commons site plan before required state highway and archaeological approvals were completed, and ultimately halting the project.
“We continue to actively market the project and seek tenants while remaining concerned about the Town’s ongoing harassment of the property owner, which at times appears coordinated with the Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot, and the uncertainty those actions create for financing, tenant commitments, and the overall construction schedule,” said Lane.
Nickie Hayes is Breaking & Trending News Reporter for the Poughkeepsie Journal. See her most recent articles here. Contact reporter Nickie Hayes: NHayes@poughkee.gannett.com, 845-863-3518 and @nickieehayess on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Fishkill declares Revolutionary War burial ground: Not everyone agrees
Reporting by Nickie Hayes, Poughkeepsie Journal / Poughkeepsie Journal
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