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North Salem Historical Society Fundraiser Aids Cemetery Restoration

NORTH SALEM, N.Y. -- The North Salem Historical Society is hosting a winter social cocktail party on Friday, March 4, at the White Elephant in North Salem.

Proceeds from the winter social cocktail party will go to the restoration of North Salem's historical landmark, Cat Ridge Cemetery.

Proceeds from the winter social cocktail party will go to the restoration of North Salem's historical landmark, Cat Ridge Cemetery.

Photo Credit: Contributed

Proceeds from the event will go to the restoration of North Salem's historical landmark, Cat Ridge cemetery, located on Cat Ridge Road.

The NSHS along with other town groups have been helping to restore Cat Ridge since last year. The cemetery, dating to 1803, has felt the ravages of time.

Susan Thompson, North Salem town historian, has spearheaded this restoration project. Volunteers have cleared the brush, repaired and cleaned tombstones and are restoring the vault, using techniques that are true to the original construction.

Some of the family names buried at Cat Ridge are among the oldest and most important in North Salem. Revolutionary War veterans and Civil War fallen are among the more than 50 interments. Walking through the cemetery and viewing the inscriptions that were typical of the time, visitors get a deeper understanding of the contribution early North Salem residents have given to the country.

Originally built as a sheep shed in the late 1700s, the White Elephant building has been transformed into the NSHS headquarters. Cynthia Curtis, the NSHS president said, "The White Elephant is a perfect venue to host a party to help raise funds for the restoration of the underground receiving vault at the Cat Ridge Cemetery."

The building also houses antiques, maps, memorabilia, collections and myriad documents that provide a time capsule into the town's magnificent history.

For more information, visit www.nshs.info or email northsalemhistoricalsociety@gmail.com.

The event will be from 6-9 p.m.

The White Elephant is at 81 Keeler Lane.

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