In many ways, Green-wood Cemetery embodies all that is great in New York City. In 1776, the Battle of Long Island was fought on what are now the many green valleys of Green-Wood Cemetery. It was also one of the first rural cemeteries established in the United States and has since become a must visit with over 500,000 visitors a year. Although many cannot imagine how a cemetery could be beautiful, the 478 acres of gorgeous hills, valleys, monuments, and mausoleums will surely make you reconsider the beauty of one of New York’s finest gems. People visit this beautiful cemetery to pay tribute to the many famous people buried within its confines such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Horace Greeley, Leonard Bernstein, Boss Tweed, Peter Cooper, Samuel F.B. Morse, William Livingston, and many others. Many of the grave robbing’s that occurred during the era evaded Green-wood cemetery, making it one of the most historic and incredible places in New York and the United States.
Surprisingly, Green-Wood was untouched by the grave robbing scandals of the 18th century. In 1847, many were concerned about the lack of supply of corpses, used to train doctors. The shortage, according to Oshinksy, fell hardest on the two best medical schools at the time, Columbia and New York University, and threatened to hinder the prospects of another medical school popping up, Bellevue. The need for cadavers left many hospitals searching for alternatives. There was a sharp increase in grave robbing, leaving many hospital officials asking for a way to get access to more resources. This led to New York University’s physician, John Draper, to lobby “the state legislature to increase the supply of fresh corpses to medical schools.” (p.g 67) In 1854, he got what wished for with the passing of the “Act to Promote Medical Science and Protect Burial Grounds” or what some opponents called it “the Bone Bill.” The new law allowed corpses to be taken from prisons and almshouses, adding to the existing category of executed criminals. Despite, the many opponents to the bill, grave robbing dropped significantly in the years to come, which gave medical schools the resources they so desired. The other famous cemeteries at the time, like Trinity Church, Washington Square Park, and numerous others felt the impact of grave robbing, something Green-Wood did not.
You might be thinking, so what is the importance of this precious cemetery you want to describe. Well, if you walk through those incredible Gothic entrance gates, you cannot help but feel like you are walking into something very special. As you walk up and down the many hills and valleys in the cemetery, you will see the gorgeous Green-Wood Chapel, which was built in 1911. If you ever read Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow or 1776 by David McCullough, your mind will inevitably wander and you will begin to picture red coats firing their muskets at George Washington’s men at the Battle of Long Island. Below is a photo, of the battle of Long Island reenactment organized by the Green-Wood historical society:
New York City’s cemeteries were plagued by grave robbing throughout the 19th century, but Green-Wood managed to escape this terrible fate. If anything, Green-Wood has gone out of its way to help identify and honor the many unidentified soldiers from the Civil War buried in the cemetery. They helped establish the Historic Fund’s Civil War Project, which helps identify the many soldiers that lost their lives fighting during the Civil War. This has been a difficult task to achieve because many graves have been damaged or sunk into the soil. Green-Wood has historically avoided any damage to the cemetery as well, aside from one incident that occurred in the 21st century. This project among others has contributed to the charm and the attraction of Green-Wood Cemetery.
Some of the most interesting figures in New York’s history are buried in Green-Wood Cemetery. If you wish to buy a plot for one yourself, it will cost you $17,000 today, which limits it to some well off people. If you do not wish to be buried there, you can always come and visit some of the incredible figures of history buried throughout the cemetery. Many come and pay their respects to famous 20th-century artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and legendary composer Leonard Bernstein. If you are a history buff, like me, you can see the creator of the Morse code, Samuel F.B. Morse or William Livingston, signer of the constitution and the first Governor of New Jersey.
I urge all of you to go visit this incredible landmark of Brooklyn and New York, trust me you will not regret it.
Bibliography
“About / History | Green-Wood.” n.d. Accessed May 15, 2019. https://www.green-wood.com/about-history/.
Moylan, Richard J. “Green-Wood Cemetery” in Jackson, Kenneth T., ed. (2010), The Encyclopedia of New York City(2nd ed.), New Haven: Yale University Press, ISBN 978-0-300-11465-2, pp. 557-58
Bibliography
“About / History | Green-Wood.” n.d. Accessed May 15, 2019. https://www.green-wood.com/about-history/.
Moylan, Richard J. “Green-Wood Cemetery” in Jackson, Kenneth T., ed. (2010), The Encyclopedia of New York City(2nd ed.), New Haven: Yale University Press, ISBN 978-0-300-11465-2, pp. 557-58