Preston — Philip Avery Lukoff stood in the crowd Wednesday at the signing ceremony solidifying a deal to convey the former Norwich Hospital property to the Mohegan tribe, listening to Mohegan Tribal Chairman Kevin Brown talk about how Sachem Uncas deeded land there to Jonathan Brewster in 1649 to establish a trading post on what would become known as Brewster's Neck.

Lukoff, 76, a direct descendant of Jonathan Brewster, wants to make sure that history is not lost in the din of roller coasters, high-tech synthetic ski slopes, hotels and the thousands of cars that will make their way to the now quiet grounds of the former Norwich Hospital property at Brewster's Neck in Preston.

Any signs of the trading post are long gone, but the Brewster family and their many descendants left one lasting mark on the property: the Brewster's Neck Cemetery.

Surrounded by a well-constructed stone wall adjacent to three Jewish cemeteries that abut the former Norwich Hospital property, Brewster's Neck Cemetery houses gravesites that run from the mid-17th through the early 21st centuries. Puritan-era stone engravings, mostly faded or coated with lichen, stand near modern granite stones carved with names familiar throughout southeastern Connecticut: Brewster, Avery, Field, Potter, Perkins and Nichols.

A tall obelisk erected in 1855 by descendants of Jonathan Brewster bears the names of Jonathan Brewster, who died in 1661, and his wife, Lucretia, who died 10 years later in 1671. The monument replaced the “broken fragments” of their gravestones, the inscription states. “History speaks of his acts,” the inscription also says.

Lukoff grew up in Norwich but has lived outside the area for decades before returning in October. He only recently learned of the agreement between the Town of Preston and the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority to create a $200 million to $600 million entertainment, recreation, retail and residential resort complex on the 388 acres of the former Norwich Hospital property.

Lukoff and his sister Barbara Johnson of New Bedford, Mass., don't object to the project, but they want to ensure that Brewster's name and Brewster's Neck Cemetery are not engulfed and forgotten in the mix.

Instead, Lukoff said he would like “a little separation” from the retail, parking and restaurant developments shown on the plans near the Brewster's Neck Cemetery, but “not hidden” from view.

“We'd like a nice entrance,” Lukoff said. “We want to invite people to come here and look around. We know they would be respectful, because who else would want to come here except folks like me, history nuts?”

Members of the Norwich Hebrew Benevolent Association, which oversees the historical Jewish cemeteries adjacent to the former Norwich Hospital property and Brewster's Neck Cemetery, have been in touch with town and tribal officials to discuss their concerns about the development. But until Lukoff called Preston Redevelopment Agency Chairman Sean Nugent this week, the parties had not heard from any Brewster descendants.

“We're always committed to being respectful of the sanctity of the cemeteries,” Nugent said.

Lukoff has been poring over local historical records and the thick volume titled “The Brewster Genealogy, 1566-1907 V1: A Record Of The Descendants Of William Brewster Of The Mayflower (1908).” The book recounts stories about Jonathan Brewster that local historian Frances Manwaring Caulkins included in her book “History of New London” and described deeds for land the Brewsters held for centuries in Brewster's Neck.

The genealogy describes a 450-acre farm at Brewster's Neck, but then stated “no probate records papers relating to his estate have been found.”

What happened to later deeds for the property and the cemetery also have become a mystery. The survey map of the Norwich Hospital property included in the 150-page Property Disposition and Development Agreement governing the Mohegans' planned development includes a small notation on the cemetery: “No deed located.”

The Town of Preston has been mowing the grass and maintaining the cemetery for at least the past 20 years, Nugent said Friday. But the town doesn't even know if it owns the cemetery. The property was not included in the land to be conveyed to the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority for the development.

Lukoff was relieved to learn that, but hopes the cemetery does become part of the attraction in a way. He commended the town for taking care of the cemetery, but would like some renewed attention. The rear stone wall is damaged in one spot where perhaps a tree crashed down on it. Two headstones are toppled but not broken. Half of the iron gate at the entrance is missing.

Lukoff would like repairs made and perhaps historical markers erected giving the history of the area. He joked that many of the early Brewsters buried in the cemetery might marvel at the types of food to be eaten at the planned nearby restaurant.

“My sister thinks the whole country should know about this,” Lukoff said. “I'd be happy if the whole state of Connecticut knew about it.”

c.bessette@theday.com