The Village of Bohemia was first Established in 1855.
It's original name was "Tabor", which means "Camp" in Czech. When the first death occurred in the village in 1865, there was no cemetery in which to bury the deceased. One of the village clergy, Reverend Clark of Sayville, turned to a wealthy local land owner and farmer, Alexander H Wallis, and asked for his help. Mr. Wallis graciously decided to donate two acres of pristine land to serve as the village's first cemetery.
The Cemetery contains the graves of Bohemia's Founding Families and many of the inscriptions on the headstones are written in the Czech script, reflecting the Bohemian-Czech heritage of its first citizens.
In 1885, a community meeting was held and the citizens decided to rename their community "Bohemia".
Today there are 1851 graves located on the beautiful tree shaded grounds with approximately several hundred sites still available.
The cemetery is located on the south side of Church Street between Smithtown Avenue and Walnut Avenue, adjacent to the John Peal Elementary School and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
Visiting hours are from Sunrise to Sunset any day of the year.
It's original name was "Tabor", which means "Camp" in Czech. When the first death occurred in the village in 1865, there was no cemetery in which to bury the deceased. One of the village clergy, Reverend Clark of Sayville, turned to a wealthy local land owner and farmer, Alexander H Wallis, and asked for his help. Mr. Wallis graciously decided to donate two acres of pristine land to serve as the village's first cemetery.
The Cemetery contains the graves of Bohemia's Founding Families and many of the inscriptions on the headstones are written in the Czech script, reflecting the Bohemian-Czech heritage of its first citizens.
In 1885, a community meeting was held and the citizens decided to rename their community "Bohemia".
Today there are 1851 graves located on the beautiful tree shaded grounds with approximately several hundred sites still available.
The cemetery is located on the south side of Church Street between Smithtown Avenue and Walnut Avenue, adjacent to the John Peal Elementary School and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
Visiting hours are from Sunrise to Sunset any day of the year.
Whose statue graces the cemetery grounds?
The statue that graces the grounds of the Bohemia Union Cemetery is of Jan (John) Hus.
He was born in Husinee, Bohemia sometime around 1372. He became a devoted Bohemian Catholic Priest, who tried his best to rid the Church of many unethical practices of his day, such as the selling of "indulgences for the forgiveness of sins". He and his followers rejected any teaching that was not founded on solid Biblical scripture. He was summoned to defend his views and was subsequently arrested and imprisoned for nearly 7 months. When he wouldn't recant his objections, he was declared a heretic and was burned at the stake on July 6, 1415.
Hus wrote extensively and his books earned him a prominent place in Czech literary history. Historians tell us that Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant Reformation, credited Hus as his mentor. July 6th is a public holiday in the Czech republic, commemorating the execution of Jan Hus.
The founders of the Bohemia Union Cemetery and the Bohemian Historical Society sought to recognize this martyr by erecting a statue in his honor. The original statue was carved in Vermont at a cost of $1400.00 It was officially dedicated in the cemetery on September 26, 1893.
The Internet Encyclopedia web-site Wikipedia, reports it was "the first memorial statue erected in the United States to honor a foreign born person."
His statue shows him holding a chalice, the cup used at Mass, because he proposed receiving Holy Communion at Mass under the form of both bread and wine.
Ironically, this practice would be embraced by the Catholic Church in years to come.
He was born in Husinee, Bohemia sometime around 1372. He became a devoted Bohemian Catholic Priest, who tried his best to rid the Church of many unethical practices of his day, such as the selling of "indulgences for the forgiveness of sins". He and his followers rejected any teaching that was not founded on solid Biblical scripture. He was summoned to defend his views and was subsequently arrested and imprisoned for nearly 7 months. When he wouldn't recant his objections, he was declared a heretic and was burned at the stake on July 6, 1415.
Hus wrote extensively and his books earned him a prominent place in Czech literary history. Historians tell us that Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant Reformation, credited Hus as his mentor. July 6th is a public holiday in the Czech republic, commemorating the execution of Jan Hus.
The founders of the Bohemia Union Cemetery and the Bohemian Historical Society sought to recognize this martyr by erecting a statue in his honor. The original statue was carved in Vermont at a cost of $1400.00 It was officially dedicated in the cemetery on September 26, 1893.
The Internet Encyclopedia web-site Wikipedia, reports it was "the first memorial statue erected in the United States to honor a foreign born person."
His statue shows him holding a chalice, the cup used at Mass, because he proposed receiving Holy Communion at Mass under the form of both bread and wine.
Ironically, this practice would be embraced by the Catholic Church in years to come.
Jan Hus