Where in the Hudson Valley Contest: Mary Booth Gravestone Near Hudson Valley Library

Do you know where this Hudson Valley landmark is located?

Displayed in a dainty, mulch-filled garden, this stone is located directly outside the back entrance to the main library in one of the Valley’s biggest cities. Although moderately small in size, it is easily seen by the library’s many daily guests.

Visitors who look at the back of the stone will discover that it is not just an attractive garden ornament, but a gravestone, which was found during extensive renovations made to the library between 2007 and 2009. Research revealed that this memorial was made for “Mary,” a child of Oliver H. and Elizabeth E. Booth, who was born in the mid-19th century and died at just 18 months of age; it’s believed that the Booth family lived on the property located next door to the site. Mary, however, was not buried there, but in the city’s 165-acre rural cemetery. It is unclear why this memorial stone was on the property, but it seems likely that — had the library not undergone the major changes that it did — this strange stone would have remained undiscovered, perhaps for centuries more.

Do you think you can find the resting place of this peculiar memorial? If so, submit your answer as a comment in the box below. The first reader with the correct response wins a prize. Happy hunting and good luck!

» Give up? Find the contest answer here!

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