Gardens of Stone --- A Cemetery Blog by Alexandra Kathryn Mosca

 In 1861, Colonel Abraham S. Vosburgh died from noncombat causes. Following a well-attended military funeral, he was buried in Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery. This is the base of his monument, which features an obelisk topped by an eagle. The monument was commissioned by Vosburgh's regiment and designed by noted sculptor Patrizio Piatti, who is also buried in Green-Wood. The scene in Washington, D.C. as Col. Vosburgh's casket was borne to the railroad station for its journey to New York.

  The grave of legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday (nicknamed Lady Day) is well visited, as evidenced by the memorabilia and stones left atop her grave in St. Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx. Diana Ross portrayed Billie Holiday in the 1972 movie 'Lady Sings the Blues' for which she won a Golden Globe and earned an Oscar nomination.

I am always looking for a new angle from which to photograph Green-Wood's John Matthews (Soda Fountain King) monument. Here's my latest effort.

  Ebinger's Bakery was a fixture in many Brooklyn neighborhoods, beginning in the late 19th century. Perhaps their most famous creation was Ebinger's Blackout cake. Invented during World War II, it was named for the mandatory blackouts that protected the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Ebinger's locations ceased operation in the 1970s, but their famous Blackout Cake lives on. A number of bakeries offer their version, and recipes can be found online. The company's founder, George Ebinger (1859-1935) is buried in Green-Wood along with his wife, Katherine, and other familymembers. The couple died within months of one another.

Born in Warsaw, Poland, to a Jewish family, Anna Held often headlined the Folies-Bergere. Later, Held claimed Paris as her birthplace, shaved a few years off her age, and converted to Catholicism upon marrying a Uruguayan playboy, Maximo Carrera. With Carrera, Held had a daughter named Liane. In 1896, Held met Florenz Ziegfeld when he hired her to be in one of his productions.     By 1897, the two were in love despite being unable to marry legally (her first husband would not grant her a divorce). However, after seven years, they were considered husband and wife by New York’s common law. It was Held who inspired the ‘Ziegfeld Follies.’ Sadly, Held died at the age of 46 in 1918 from multiple myeloma, a rare disease at the time.  Her funeral was held at Campbell’s in NYC and was well attended by stars of the era, except for Ziegfeld, who disliked funerals. Held’s “Empire-Style” burial site boasts a stone arch and two benches. It was purchased for her by actr...

To kick off the baseball season, today's post is in homage to Gil Hodges, one of the game's greats. The grave of Gil Hodges can be found in Brooklyn's Holy Cross Cemetery. His grave is adorned with an American flag and baseball memorabilia left by visiting fans. The former first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers died in 1972, two days before his 48th birthday. Several days later, more than 1,000 people stood in line to pay their respects as Hodges body reposed in a Brooklyn funeral home. After two days of visitation, a Mass of Christian Burial took place at Hodges church, Our Lady Help of Christians, led by Bishop Francis Mugavero. Seated in the church, which was filled to capacity, were Bowie Kuhn, Jackie Robinson, PeeWee Reese, Tom Seaver and Mayor John Lindsay. Thousands more lined the streets. At the conclusion of the service,  two flower cars overflowing with floral tributes led the cortege to Holy Cross.    

A finely chiseled bust tops the monument of well-to-do Kings County politician, Andrew McClennen, in Brooklyn's Holy Cross Cemetery. McClennen stipulated in his will that if his children left no heirs, "I give his or her share to the incorporated Roman Catholic hospitals and orphan asylums of the city of Brooklyn." 

This majestic monument marks the grave of  Major General Robert Patterson, who fought in both the Mexican-American War and the Civil War.

Based on Michelangelo's Lorenzo de Medici, this sculpture is part of the Sayles family lot in Rhode Island's Swan Point Cemetery.

  Walter Feldman was an artist, printmaker and mosaicist. A graduate of Yale, he went on to teach art at Brown University for five decades. In 2005, Feldman dedicated the Walter Feldman Book Arts Studio at the school's John Hay Library. In addition to Feldman's paintings, art books and prints, he also created mosaics, woodcuts, and stained glass. Examples of his work can be found at Temple Beth-El, Temple Emanu-El and Miriam Hospital, in Providence, Rhode Island.

The palatial mausoleum of hoteliers Harry and Leona Helmsley commands a picturesque view in New York's Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and is o ne of the most recognized mausoleums in the cemetery. In the center of the building, on top of the inlaid marble floor, two crypts contain the bodies of the Helmsleys. Harry's tomb is inscribed with the following words: Harry (1997): "I wait for the time we can soar together again, both aware of each other. - Harry." On the other hand, Leona's tomb reads, "I never knew a day I did not love you." Leona reads, "I never knew a day I did not love you.-Three identical stained-glass windows depicting the Manhattan skyline adorn the 1,300-square-foot structure on almost an acre of land.  The Helmsleys were originally to be entombed in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, where Leona commissioned a mausoleum upon Harry's death. But when a community mausoleum was being constructed nearby, threatening to obstruct the views...

This graceful monument in Cypress Hills Cemetery marks the grave of Dr. Henry Small --a 19th Century physician and his wife, Araminta.

This Norman Revival hillside tomb, which contains the remains of the Lispenard Stewart family, was designed by James Fenwick in 1889. The Stewart family was socially prominent and when Mrs. Mary Stewart (nee Mary Rogers Rhinelander) died in 1893, a NY Times article noted that she was “one of the wealthiest women in New York . ”Her funeral was attended by the Astor, Vanderbilt and Pell families. Their son, Senator Lispenard Stewart, was included in an 1890 article about the most eligible bachelors in NY. In 1895, he was the escort of Gertrude Vanderbilt at her coming out party (which had an entirely different meaning in those days :)) and characterized as the “best dancer in Newport , Rhode Island .”

On Battle Hill, the cemetery's highest point, visitors can find a pleasant surprise. In 1920, Charles M. Higgins, an Irish immigrant and local history enthusiast, decided to honor the Revolutionary War Battle of Long Island, which had been neglected for far too long. He built an altar on Battle Hill and topped it with a statue of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom. To ensure that Minerva would not feel lonely at the top, Higgins placed her close to Lady Liberty's upraised torch, located 3.5 miles to the West. This creates a unique sight where Minerva's waving hand reciprocates Lady Liberty's torch.  Five years ago, in 2008, there were concerns that this remarkable view could be obstructed. It was then that a real estate developer and a historic preservationist clashed over constructing "The Minerva," a new condominium across the street. To prove that the line of sight would not be affected, a construction worker was raised 40 feet in the air in a cherry pick...

Buried in Brooklyn's Holy Cross Cemetery, visitors often leave baseball memorabilia at the grave of the beloved former first baseman and New York Mets manager. Hodges suffered a fatal heart attack in 1972 after playing a round of golf in Florida. Hodges was immensely popular, and on what would have been his 48th birthday, over 1,000 people waited in line outside a Brooklyn funeral home, hoping to be admitted to pay their respects.  On the day of Hodges' funeral, fans gathered behind police barricades to catch a glimpse of his casket as it was brought into the church. Many notable figures from the baseball world were present, including Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, players Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson, pitchers Tom Seaver and Sandy Koufax, and sports announcer Howard Cosell. Brooklyn Bishop Francis J. Mugavero was the principal celebrant. At the same time, Hodges' pastor and friend, Father Charles E. Curley, gave the homily." Gil was a hero. All of us need he...

This arbor of trees --located near the Civil War Soldiers' Monument-- --where the delicate and ephemeral cherry blossoms make a brief appearance, is one of my favorite spring sites.

This tableau, blanketed by freshly fallen snow, is in honor of Good Friday and the promise of spring.

The bronze-reliefs on the tomb of steel magnate David Stewart were created by famed architect Stanford White and preeminent sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Together, the pair also created a number of other noted works: The Farragut Monument in Madison Square Garden (their first collaboration); the Peter Cooper Monument for Cooper Union; The Puritan in Springfield, Mass.and Chicago’s General John Logan Monument .

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 Louise, and four of their children were shot to death by their eldest son, Ronald Jr., who blamed the murder on a mafia hitman. He was found guilty at trial and is serving a life sentence. This sensational case spawned a number of books, including the Amityville Horror, a book based on the Lutz family's account of the brief (less than a month) period they lived in the house, a year later. George and Kathy Lutz claimed they had been terrorized by paranormal phenomena while residing in the house. To this day, the house at 112 Ocean Ave. remains an object of curiosity.