Hickcox Park Cemetery & Pioneer Trail

Dedicated to the memory of Ron McEntee
October 19, 1964 - May 23, 2015

Thank you to all who attended the dedication ceremony for Ron's plaque at Hickcox Park on Sunday, May 22.

In recognition of Ron's work to preserve Hickcox Cemetery, resting place of Middleburgh Township's first families, the memorial plaque was erected among those with which Ron created Pioneer Trial at Hickcox Park. Hickcox Park is located here.

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  • Ron expresses his thoughts about preserving the burial ground and history in general in this letter from December 2, 1995.

    Ron McEntee Memorial Plaque: As a new shopping center and parking lot sprung up in 1995 around a knoll that held the remains of Middleburgh Township's first white settlers, Ron spearheaded a project that not only preserved the cemetery, but chronicled Middleburg's history through a series of informational plaques.

    Ron worked with Carnegie Development, which installed an iron fence around what became Hickcox Park. Carnegie, owner of the surrounding property, installed walkways and lighting. Ron was solely responsible for the creation of the plaques, from historical research, to design. The Fabrizi family, of Fabrizi Trucking & Paving Company, installed the historical plaques at no cost, and numerous friends made financial donations to help make the project possible.

    Thank you for your contribution

    Legally, Hickcox cemetery, while surrounded by commercial development, is a separate parcel listed to Morris Hepburn (1800-1855), whose remains occupy the cemetery, and whose will mandated that the cemetery remain forever.

    Ron worked closely with Hepburn decendent Betty Shrieves to ensure that Hepburn's wishes for the little known plot were enforced. Shortly after Ron's passing, his family contacted Sandra Anderson, Mrs. Shrieves' daughter, who gave her enthusiastic blessing to a proposal to add a new plaque to Hickcox Park in Ron's memory.

    More to come: Please check back to this page to learn more about the cemetery where Middleburgh Township's first families were buried and Ron's work to preserve it and transform it into a chronicle of the area's history.