Free Church Cemetery
By Kathryn Keiserman
The Free Church Cemetery, located on Harbor Road on the hillside next to the Dodge Homestead, was established in 1859 by the Free Church in Port Washington. 95 burials occurred in the cemetery between 1859 and 1935. Many families buried in the cemetery were involved in the clam and oyster business.
The Free Church associated with the cemetery burned down in the 1920s, and minimal maintenance has allowed the cemetery to fall into disrepair. Many families chose to move the remains of their loved ones to the Nassau Knolls Cemetery. According to some members of the Dodge family, the children of tug boat captains are buried in unmarked graves on the eastern slope; there do not seem to be any historical records that confirm this story.
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