In a recent article published in “The Evening Sun” (Norwich) online edition, it was noted that a new historical marker, provided by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, was placed by the Fly Meadow Creek Cemetery in Preston (Chenango County).
The event celebrated Silas Champlain, a Revolutionary War soldier born in Stonington, Connecticut in 1748. Champlain later settled in Preston, New York, and chose Fly Meadow Creek as his final resting place.
Established in 1808, Fly Meadow Creek Cemetery fell into disrepair and in 2013, Tina and Dale Utter began a restoration process, clearing away invasive plants. During the process they uncovered six inscribed stones along with around 80 primitive markers believed to denote the graves of early residents.
In the mid-1800s, it became the final resting place for residents of the Chenango County Poor House. The Poor House burial area is marked by about 150 simple marble stones, each engraved with a number instead of a name. The Preston Town Historian Cindy Branham is making efforts to discover the names of these individuals.
