St. James the Less Hosts Graveyard Tour and Halloween Party

The ghosts will haunt the graveyard at the Church of St. James the Less on Sunday evening, October 28th, beginning at 6:00pm. However, Mother Astrid Storm, rector of St. James, assures everyone there is no reason to be afraid – these are historic spirits not horrifying ghosts.

Buried in the cemetery at St. James the Less, the only graveyard in the Village of Scarsdale, are a number of historic figures, including Major William Popham, who was a friend of George Washington's, and John “Scarsdale Jack” Van Kuren Newkirk, a Scarsdale High School alumnus, fighter pilot and World War II hero, who was killed in action against the Japanese.

Another somber and historic feature of the graveyard is the burial site of slaves who attempted to find freedom in Canada via the Underground Railroad but died en route. Since it was a crime to assist escaping slaves, the church buried these African Americans without formal headstones instead using a loose grouping of rocks to mark the spot where these brave people were interred.

While tours of the graveyard are ongoing, there will also be a Halloween party for children inside the church, complete with a haunted house run by the Senior Youth Group of St. James the Less. The Halloween party and haunted house are a longstanding and popular tradition at the church.

St. James the Less
10 Curch Lane
Scarsdale, NY 10583
www.StJamesScarsdale.org