Ring in the new school year with a look at the hidden history inside your pencil case. Those age-old writing tools may seem humdrum, but in the early years of pencil production in America, the tiny tools were the focus of fierce competition. American companies, including several in New York, vied for customers through new ideas, designs, and advertisements. In Green-Wood’s Historic Chapel, we’ll explore the history, development, and simple appeal of the pencil with Caroline Weaver, lifelong pencil enthusiast and owner of the new Lower East Side shop CW Pencils. Caroline will discuss the crowded pencil market of the 19th and early 20th century, including the innovations of successful pencil man Eberhard Faber, buried at Green-Wood in 1879. Beautiful and varied examples of pencils from Caroline’s personal collection will be on display, along with historic advertisements and other objects. After the talk, the Green-Wood trolley will bring you to Faber’s monument to pay your respect to the pencil king – and do a grave rubbing using some of his storied graphite, too.

Calling all amateur arborists and horticultural hopefuls! Join Board Certified Master Arborist Kevin Wyatt and Green-Wood’s Curator of Plant Collections Joe Charap for this hands-on demonstration on how to effectively prune your trees and shrubs. A thoughtful and well executed pruning will keep your plants looking great and growing strong. You’ll practice using hand pruners, lopers, and pole pruners and learn the proper techniques behind sanitary, reduction, and developmental pruning. Participants will be working in Green-Wood on small trees and shrubs. Tools and protective equipment will be provided.

Join Thomas W. Gilbert, baseball historian and author, to celebrate his newly published book Playing First: Early Baseball Lives at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery. Gilbert is an expert in baseball's 19th-century New York City and Brooklyn origins, and Green-Wood's history there is unmatched - an astounding number of early baseball innovators and players are interred at the cemetery. Playing First is the culmination of Gilbert's extensive research into the little known professional, political, and military lives of these baseball pioneers. In Green-Wood's Historic Chapel, Gilbert will reveal many fascinating stories included in his newly published book, including the truth about what actually killed famed baseball martyr James Creighton, and how a feud between baseball and cricket in early America changed Creighton's legacy forever. After the talk, Gilbert will sign books before leading a trolley tour of baseball pioneers with Green-Wood Historian Jeff Richman.

Explore the frenzied world of New York City news and media. This panel, featuring Untapped Cities founder Michelle Young, journalist and urban planner Julia Vitullo-Martin, and Brokelyn News Editor David Colon, will trace the early boom days of New York City newspapers to the current upheaval in media. In the 19th century, the pioneers of news and publishing loomed large in New York society, and they made their impact on the landscape, too, by building massive and imposing headquarters downtown. Many of these early players are now buried together at Green-Wood, including Horace Greeley, founder of the New York Tribune; James Harper, founder of Harper & Brothers; and Henry Raymond, founder of the New York Times. But the media world doesn’t stand still for long, and our panelists will detail the seismic shifts the industry has endured in the 20th and 21st centuries. Media has moved from downtown flagships, to uptown rented space, to bloggers working from their living rooms. Where will it go next? Young, Vitullo-Martin, and Colon will take a stab at answering that question. Following the talk, a trolley tour will visit the monuments of the great newspaper men of the 19th century.

Don’t miss one of Green-Wood’s most popular events! For one day only, we’re opening many of our most impressive and elaborate mausoleums for public perusal. Peek inside massive stone slabs and elaborate iron-wrought doors as you step inside stunning examples of Green-Wood’s distinct architecture. This self-guided tour will include the Egyptian Revival tomb of John Taylor Johnston, an early president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the ornamental Nichols mausoleum which served as a kind of hostel for Nichols friends and family; the imposing mausoleum of the Dewey’s, a family of early American settlers; and several more . At each stop, “house” docents will offer a glimpse into the lives of the personalities who now rest in these opulent structures. Bring your sneakers and walk the route, or use the Green-Wood trolley for “Hop on, hop off” service between each site. A handy map, provided at the main entrance, will show the locations of each open house.