Marker, painting to help promote Slingerland vault
Supporters continue to work toward saving Bethlehem landmark
Visions of the past and future of the hamlet of Slingerlands were revealed last week to the Bethlehem Town Board.
The Friends of the Slingerland Family Burial Vault, a group that is raising money to restore the burial vault of former congressman John I. Slingerland and his family, unveiled a new historical marker that will be placed near the site as well as a new watercolor painting that was commissioned to show how the burial vault will appear after it has been restored.
John I. Slingerland was an important local businessman who helped bring the railroad through Bethlehem to Albany. He was also an outspoken abolitionist who was also known for his support of the Homestead Act and Anti-rent Party. He died in October 1861.
The hamlet of Slingerlands is actually named for John I. Slingerland’s brother William, a prominent civil engineer who also established the first post office in Slingerlands. William Slingerland is also buried in the vault.
The Friends of the Slingerland Family Burial Vault was organized in the fall of 2017 and has been in fundraising mode since then to get money to pay for the restoration of the vault. The group’s goal is $102,200 and it has raised more than $35,000 to date.
The historical marker was donated by former Slingerlands Elementary School teacher Evonne Lutkus whose lifelong dream has been to pay for a historical marker at the burial vault site, which is located behind the former Mangia restaurant parking lot on a small plot of land that is owned by the town. The parking lot and vacant land next to the vault is the cite where William Slingerland’s home was located before it was torn down a few decades ago.
The watercolor was painted and donated to the group by Delmar artist Peter Keitel.