Looney, Patrick

Patrick Looney (grandson of Frances and Mary (Ahern) Looney of Central Park/Bethpage) grew up in Farmingdale and his Eagle Scout Service Project was designed to honor Farmingdale Civil War veterans and to increase public awareness of their contributions. This project was made possible by cooperative effort of the Farmingdale-Bethpage Historical Society, Boy Scout Troop 261 and generous community support.

The project is divided into 3 phases:

1 - The gravesite search and identification of Civil War Veterans buried in local cemeteries. Twenty-two veterans' gravesites have been found to date.

2 - Rehabilitation of the gravesites. Including re-landscapeing of the gravesites of Civil War veterans Alfred Walters and his brother Cornelius Walters at the Lyceum Cemetery on Hempstead Turnpike, Bethpage. Both veterans have been given new tombstones engraved with their names and recognition of their service in the Union Army. At the Bethpage United Methodist Cemetery the troop removed overgrowth and debris, trimmed trees, painted metal fencing and reset the tombstone of Andrew Powell.

3 - Promote public awareness of the contributions of the Civil War veterans.

Information from American Civil War Veterans Project at the time of the unvailing of the new tombstones on August 21st. 2009.

Below information from Talk of The Town - A publication of the Town of Oyster Bay, October 2009

The TOB joined in dedicating new markings honoring Farmingdale Civil War Veterans, Alfred and Cornelius Walters, at the German Methodist Church Cemetery (aka Lyceum Cemetery) off Hempstead Turnpike in Bethpage.

Alfred Walters, who died in Tennessee in 1865, was the first Farmingdale Civil War casualty. His brother, Cornelius, returned to Farmingdale after the war and lived out his life there.

As explained by Town Clerk Steven L. Labriola, "The ceremony was the end product of Eagle Scout project by Patrick Looney of Boy Scout Troop #261 in Farmingdale, who researched his work with the help of the Farmingdale-Bethpage Historical Society and Town of Oyster Bay Historian John Hammond, author of guide entitled Historic Cemeteries of Oyster Bay. The project included cleaning up the cemetery and expanded to giving special recognition to the historical significance of two local Civil War Veterans buried at the site."