Thursday, February 5, 2009
One of the most special places in Brooklyn
One of the most special places in Brooklyn is Green-Wood Cemtery. Twenty years ago, I saw it for the first time and thought it to be the most magnificent cemetery I'd ever seen. And, believe me, I had seen a lot of cemeteries in my career as a funeral director. Of course, back then, there was no way of knowing that twenty years later, in 2008, I would do a book about the place. But that's just what I did. After years of profiling noted cemeteries and famous funerals, as a freelance writer, I got the opportunity to delve into the history of the most famous cemetery in America. When I began the project, I knew of many of Green-Wood's famous denizens, but as I continued to research by traversing the grounds and reading all I could about the place and its history, it became a question of winnowing down subjects to include in the book. In fact, if I were to do a Green-Wood Cemetery Part II, III, IV & V, I sill could not possbly include all the stories Green-Wood has to tell. I'd like to share here with you some of the stunning architecture and compelling stories I came across while working on the book; some of which made the final cut and others which, unfortunately, did not. I'd also like to share with you, the tales of some non-famous citizens, as I believe all people have a tale to tell.
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Green-Wood Cemetery continues to be a treasure trove for story ideas. My latest is in this month's American Cemetery & Cremation mag...
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Hungarian-born journalist and newspaper publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, was born Jozsef Politzer in 1847. Several years after the death of his ... -
At the 1972 funeral of Jackie Robinson, 2,500 people packed Riverside Church in New York City. New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, NY C... -
One of the most ornate monuments in Green-Wood is that of Charlotte Canda, who died in 1845, on her 17th birthday. Canda’s death was th... -
One of the most unique mausoleums to be found in Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery is that of successful Atlanta businessman, Jasper Newton Smith. ... -
Archibald Gracie IV was instrumental in saving the lives of a number of fellow RMS Titanic passengers. Gracie, too, survived and began... -
This monument is to the DeFeo family, who were all murdered in their Amityville, LI home in November of 1974. Ronald DeFeo Sr., his wife L... -
The parents of famed film director Martin Scorsese, whose hit films include Goodfellas and Gangs of New York, are entombed in a... -
Way back when, the first significant monument I was introduced to at Green-Wood was the "bride." So significant was this that I ... -
Green-Wood Cemetery's Stubenbord-Sutherland monument features a seated mourning figure holding a sprig of ivy. The granite monument... -
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This G othic Revival mausoleum was built for Edwin W. Marsh in 1890. At the time, Marsh was the most successful retail dry goods merchant ...
Very nice. A good cemetery lasts forever. My favourite is La Recoleta in Buenos Aires, where Evita Peron has her tomb. I'd love to end up there.
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago, I wrote a profile of Eva Peron and became familiar with Recoleta Cemetery. So far I've only seen photos, but it is one of the cemeteries I'd love to visit someday.
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