As the sun shone through the clouds on Veterans Day, guests from around the Newburgh area gathered around the Robinson Mausoleum to take part in the rededication ceremony in Newburgh Old Town Cemetery at 215 Grant Street. A crowd of more than 50 guests gathered together at the cemetery.

The rededication ceremony of the Robinson Mausoleum was hosted by the Newburgh Preservation Association. The mausoleum houses the remains of Henry Robinson, his wife Ann Buchan Robinson and his daughters Mary Robinson Benkard and Sarah Robinson.

Nancy Thomas, a Newburgh Representative from the Newburgh Preservation Association, serving as project manager and John Redman, Pastor of Union Presybetian Church, who served as event manager and director for the rededication, were both happy to make it to this day. “We’ve been looking forward to this. There’s been lots of preparation that went into this, especially the restoration of the structure itself,” Redman said. Thomas said, “this is an important piece of history. Taking care of our history is very important. It guides us into our future.”

James Robinson Benkard, a descendant of Henry Robinson, was called up by Redman and spoke of the type of man that Robinson was. “My father’s father’s father’s father’s mother was Mary Robinson Benkard. She was born in 1812 to Henry and Ann Robinson,” Benkard said.

Benkard spoke of Robinson’s life as an officer in the War of 1812, worked as a merchant seaman, diverse in languages especially French and had great skills in navigation. Robinson also served on the USS President during January 1815 and disabled British ships that were attacking. “It is humbling to consider that our ancestors fought so hard for life and liberty,” Benkard said.

Later in his 40s, Robinson left New York City and settled in the City of Newburgh managing a farm, traveling, and contributing to his community however he could. In the City of Newburgh, there are two streets listed as Benkard and Robinson Avenues.

The Robinson Mausoleum, was built in 1853 by American architect Andrew Jackson Davis and is the largest Egyptian Revival mausoleum in the United States.

Davis created the structure to resemble a mastaba. Defined by Merriam-Webster, a mastaba is “an Egyptian tomb of the time of the Memphite dynasties that is oblong in shape with sloping sides and a flat roof.” Benkard referred to this structure as a “house of eternity” in ancient Egyptian.

Mayor Torrance Harvey followed Benkard’s presentation with thanks of his own. Harvey spoke of the ground for which they stood on, where settlers who long before came to this area, established a port city with food and goods to be traded and sent to the city and across the world.

“If we could see the Hudson Valley of the 19th century, we would be looking out at hundreds of sails moving along the river and the tall mast of ships tied up at the docks along the Newburgh shore. A few Newburgh men, like Henry Robinson, were engaged in piloting the freighters,” Harvey said. “Newburgh is grateful to the descendants of Henry and Ann Robinson for this restoration and the reminder of the strength that our city has at its roots.”

Redman called forward several of the family members to place flowers within the mausoleum and introduced Pastor J. Edward Lewis, Pastor of Calvary Presbyterian Church, who concluded with a reflection and blessings for the crowd as they go forth from today. The colors retired, concluding the ceremony.

“I think the size of the audience today testifies to the shared interest of the people of Newburgh in its architectural legacy and its historical significance and their belief that those are things worth preserving,” Andrew Benkard said. “It’s important to honor the past, especially when history is so important to Newburgh’s future.”