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They came by oxcart, horseback, boat and foot to settle a wilderness. Pomfret's earliest settlers more than two centuries ago had a rough life, with death always lurking.
Seeking a place to properly commemorate their many deceased loved ones, they carved out a cemetery at the edge of the forest — where Main Street turned into a rough trail.
Pioneer Cemetery still holds their remains, but time has ravaged markers and erased memories. Now, a search is coming for the lost settlers.
The Pomfret Town Board has hired a consultant to do a radar scan of the ground around the cemetery wall along Main Street. The town plans to repair the broken old wall and officials want to make sure there aren't any unmarked graves nearby, before the work starts.
Terracon, a Buffalo firm, was hired for $6,850. The company will do a ground-penetrating radar scan in the vicinity of the wall, including by the nearby recycling center.
Town Board member Ann Eckman said that according to historians, "not everyone is sure… where the bodies may be buried." She said graves could have lost their markers, or never had any to begin with.
"We're making sure we do our due diligence before we rebuild that wall," Eckman added.