New Rochelle city historian highlights preservation priorities, Carpenter’s Cemetery restoration

Barbara Davis, New Rochelle’s city historian, told the council on Wednesday that municipal historic work ranges from archival research and public programming to preservation advocacy and grant support, and she outlined several active projects — among them an effort to take ownership of Carpenter’s Cemetery and prepare the site for restoration.

Davis, who is also executive director of the Westchester County Historical Society, said the state requires municipalities to appoint a local historian and she has served in the role in New Rochelle since 2008. She described the historian’s work as fourfold: research and writing, public presentations and teaching, historic preservation, and advocacy/tourism promotion.

Davis said a large survey conducted for historic‑resource documentation found thousands of properties eligible for National Register listing across the city and multiple eligible historic districts. She noted that while National Register eligibility does not by itself impose local protections, listing can unlock grant funding for rehabilitation and advocates for adaptive reuse.

Carpenter’s Cemetery

Davis identified Carpenter’s Cemetery (Stratton Road) as a priority. Her researchers have identified handwritten burial lists and early records for people interred there going back to the 1840s; archaeologists have reported potential for more than 400 burials on the site, she said. The cemetery has been privately owned and derelict for decades; Davis said the city has been negotiating with the current owner (Westchester Torah Academy) to transfer ownership and that the Westchester Land Trust is engaged about stewardship. She described plans to form a conservancy with descendants and community members and to pursue National Register listing and grant funding for careful clearing and restoration.

Other work and outreach

Davis described a broad slate of programming and preservation work: oral‑history projects, public exhibits (including a recent exhibit on the city’s Black community), walking and boat tours, and the Walk of Fame signage program. She said a county survey documented thousands of eligible properties — more than the state database shows because of earlier database limits — and she offered to share the detailed property lists with council members.

Why it matters

Davis framed historic preservation as part of sustainability and community identity: older buildings and adaptive reuse, she said, can be an energy‑efficient and sustainable option. Council members thanked Davis and asked that staff work with her on preservation planning and to circulate the full eligible-property list to the council.

Ending

Davis said she will share copies of the survey results and a packet on local designation procedures with council members, and she asked elected officials to direct constituents with preservation or local‑history questions to her office.