NEWBURGH – Before he prospered in the Hudson Valley, Capt. Henry Robinson served on the USS President in the War of 1812 and was captured by the British and then released.
The Robinson family mausoleum, with its Egyptian Revival architecture, was originally built in 1857 in the city’s Old Town Cemetery, and Robinson his wife, Ann, and daughters, Sarah and Mary, were peacefully interred in the burial vault until vandals broke in the during the 1990s and scattered their remains.
The Robinson family was honored Thursday on Veteran’s Day with a ceremony and a restored mausoleum. Andrew Benkard is a family descendant.
“We’re happy to be able to have done this, not just out of respect for the dead, but also for Newburgh itself. Newburgh’s architectural historical heritage is pretty significant, and we think by honoring the past, we do right for the present,” he said.
The remains were gathered and stored at another cemetery for about 20 years prior to Thursday’s ceremony, and the new caskets for the Robinson family and the mausoleum restoration were crafted by members of the Calvary Baptist Church, which hosted a reception following the ceremony.
Robinson helped bring baseball and rowing to the Hudson River after gaining his wealth in farming, shipping and his vast real estate holdings, which encompassed now parts of the City of Newburgh.
