Buried: Kinderhook, New York
Died: July 24, 1862
See him: Head just out of downtown Kinderhook (if you can tear yourself away; it’s a lovely little town) to Kinderhook Reformed Cemetery, and you’ll find the grave of Martin Van Buren. The obelisk is visible from the street, though his grave is actually behind the big marker; there’s a little white “MVB” stone there. The grave is like a reverse mullet; the business, in this case, is in the back and the party is in the front. Or something.
Business, by the way, is not all that great for the Reformed Cemetery; according to letters posted at the entrance, the place is low on maintenance funds because there’s basically no plots left for sale. I’m not sure if this is related, but that might explain why the inscription on Van Buren’s monument is so hard to read. They have envelopes on site if you’d like to mail them a few dollars.
Also see: The Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, also in Kinderhook. There you’ll find Lindenwald, Van Buren’s house and farm, with great views in back of the place and an interpretive trail through the grounds.
