I’ve set myself a number of tasks lately, two of which are to learn 2 things a week: one actionable (learn a new skill, etc), one informational.

For the informational task this week, I took a walk. Since history and research are two of my favorite things, and once a taphophile, always one, blah blah, I brought the camera down to Old Town Cemetery with the dog- that part being critical. The graveyard is in a probably-okay-but-seemingly-iffy area. Having somebody watching out for trouble while I was distracted wasn’t a bad thing.

In a cemetery of small tombstones, this odd pyramid mausoleum stood out, and although I admit having a prejudice against the style (thanks Nic Cage!) but went home to dig in and learn more about the Robinson monument.

Henry Robinson was born in 1782, and his early years aren’t well documented, but he first turns up as an officer on the USS Constitution in the war of 1812. Over the course of the war, the Constitution sunk four Royal Navy vessels, convincing Britain their former colony was a legitimate military force with a powerful navy. After the war Robinson became a merchant, trading primarily with France (and becoming good friends with Lafayette, the Revolutionary War hero) until his retirement in the 1830s, when he moved to Newburgh to become a gentleman farmer, tending 267 acres.

An active, enthusiastic man even in his later years, he founded several rowing clubs in town, two of which still exist today, and gained his nickname from yelling “bully!” when his teams crossed the finish line- a term that at the time was a cheer of encouragement.

Oddly, he’s best known for introducing goldfish to the United States- a mixed blessing to be sure. Referring to them as “those pretty fish,” he stocked his pond with the carp, but didn’t appreciate what releasing them would mean to the ecosystem. Although he’d initially convinced the legislature to protect the fish, they quickly became a serious problem, leading to stories like this from Albany in 1867- 90 miles upstream of Newburgh:

Ann, his wife, died before the Captain could provide her the mansion he’d promised her in life. To make up for it, he commissioned architect Alexander Jackson Davis to design this mausoleum in the new cemetery, a departure from Davis’ traditional Gothic Revival style.

With no next-of-kin to inherit, his farm’s land was sold off in parcels, the homestead being torn down, rebuilt and going through several hands before becoming the Desmond Estate, recently sold to the city of Newburgh by the College of Saint Mary, who’d used it as a center for adult learning. It’s unclear how much of the Robinsons stamp remains on the building, though the fireplaces are thought to be original.

The tomb fell into disrepair and was falling down when the cemetery commission convinced the city to restore it in 1999.

Old Town Cemetery was officially founded in 1803, but was clearly being used well before then because in 1898 the oldest stone still readable was dated 1759. It holds many Revolutionary War dead, and I foresee some interesting research coming from its confines. Below are a few more shots of of the grounds to give an idea of the age and surroundings.