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THE BOROUGH OF THE BRONX 



of the Sixth New York Heavy Artillery who enlisted for the Civil 

 War from West Farms and Westchester village, and who gave 

 their lives in the service of their country. The West Farms Ceme- 

 tery, where the remains of these soldiers are buried, had fallen 

 into neglect ; the graves were sunken and the tombstones overgrown 

 and almost obliterated. In 1907 a Mrs. Cunningham, the widow 

 of a soldier, chanced to be passing by the graveyard at the time 

 when the street was being widened, and noticed a number of bones 



West Farms Cemetery 



being thrown into a cart. She drew the attention of the citizens 

 of the Borough to the neglect of these honored graves and the 

 disgrace of the city in forgetting its heroes. A committee, headed 

 by Captain Charles Baxter, at once set about to prevent further 

 desecration of the graves and to restore the cemetery to a respec- 

 table condition. A board fence was erected by the Borough in 

 July, 1908; while in October, 1909, a monument was erected by 

 public subscription which was dedicated with appropriate cere- 

 monies on May 29th, 1910. Three brass cannon, shell, and a 

 flagpole were presented by the United States Government for 

 decorative purposes. The most distinguished of those buried within 



