In August 1776, the American Revolution was on the verge of a disastrous end. General Washington found his troops outmanned and outmaneuvered at the Battle of Brooklyn, fought on land now part of Green-Wood. But thanks to a single heroic regiment, known as the “Immortal 400,” Washington was able to evacuate his men and they lived to fight another day.

Patrick O’Donnell, bestselling military historian, tells this story in his new book, Washington’s Immortals. In Green-Wood’s Historic Chapel O’Donnell will discuss the 1st Maryland Regiment, whose actions in many key battles changed the course of history. Using primary sources including letters, diaries, and pension applications, O’Donnell pieces together the stories of these brave men and, in the process, the larger story of the revolution.

We’re teaming up with Brooklyn Public Library to share your Brooklyn memories with the world! Objects from our past can help tell a greater story about our city, but many of these items may be sitting, forgotten, in apartments and basements all over the borough. Our Streets, Our Stories encourages Brooklynites to dig out these items! Bring your old photographs, fliers or documents - anything that tells the story of Brooklyn and its residents. How does it work? In Green-Wood’s Historic Chapel, Library staff will scan your item while you wait. They’ll give it back to you right away, along with a flash drive containing a high resolution copy of your item. Each scanned item will be added to the library’s collection, and just like that your own past will become part of the larger history of the borough of Brooklyn. By contributing and sharing your materials, you are influencing how your neighborhood, and city, will be remembered!

What is cremation? How long have we been doing it, and how does it work? Is it the right choice for you or your family? Amy Cunningham leads this tour of cremation’s history and its impact on the present and future of funerals. You’ll learn about the earliest known cremation in Australia 32 thousand years ago, the pagan cremations in ancient Rome, and how Judaism’s consistent objection to cremation led to 1,500 years of Christian burial. Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, Madame Helena Blavatsky, Jessica Mitford, Ann Landers and Reverend Billy Graham will all make appearances in this engaging, sometimes jolly talk. You’ll also learn how to choose an end-of-life mode of disposition that expresses your own beliefs and values. After the talk, you will tour Green-Wood’s crematory with a member of the crematory staff, and enjoy the chance for discussions and questions at a short reception.

Brooklyn Historical Society’s Hidden Brooklyn tours give you an insider’s peek into fascinating, off-the-grid, or little-known corners of the borough. In this installment, join Green-Wood President Richard Moylan as he takes you behind-the-scenes in the Green-Wood offices, to view an impressive art collection featuring paintings by and portraits of Green-Wood permanent residents.

On her podcast Death, Sex & Money, Anna Sale talks with writers, actors, adventurers - and everyday people - about some intensely personal topics. She gets her guests to open up about things that we tend to worry about often but openly discuss much less frequently - including death. For this year's first installment of Common Shade, we'll welcome Anna to Green-Wood's Historic Chapel and get her to do the talking. Common Shade host Evan Michelson will sit down with Anna to discuss her podcast, the allure of those tough topics, and her own experiences with life's (and death's) inevitabilities. Questions and discussion from the audience will follow.

From the Bowery Boys and the Five Points Gang in the 19th century, to the rise of the Jewish “Kosher Nostra” and the ascendance of the Italian Mafia, mobsters have played a major role in the city’s history, lurking just around the corner or inside that nondescript building. A cadre of powerful and often dangerous men once held sway over myriad New York neighborhood - their home turf – and some of those men now rest in Green-Wood.

Join author Anthony M. DeStefano as he traces organized criminal activity in the five boroughs from the 19th century to today. DeStefano will illuminate not only the exploits of New York gangsters, but also the real-life, New York locations of some of the deadliest and most significant mob action.

As home to over 9,000 trees, Green-Wood’s collection of maples, oaks, beeches, and gingkoes is one of the best in New York City. But how can you possibly tell them apart? Arborist Bill Logan leads an intensive five hour workshop that begins with a close study of an array of twigs and leaves, and learning how to classify those using dichotomous keys.

As home to over 9,000 trees, Green-Wood’s collection of maples, oaks, beeches, and gingkoes is one of the best in New York City. But how can you possibly tell them apart? Arborist Bill Logan leads an intensive five hour workshop that begins with a close study of an array of twigs and leaves, and learning how to classify those using dichotomous keys.

At the end of an early American funeral, participants were given a cookie: spiced with caraway, and stamped with a special design, they were often kept for years as a memento of the departed. Although mourning traditions have changed over time, and vary from place to place, what they have in common is food and drink. Join historic gastronomist Sarah Lohman for this talk on the culinary traditions surrounding funerals throughout American history. You’ll learn about funerary customs through the years, plus taste beer from Midas’s tomb, funeral cakes, and Mormon funeral potatoes.

James Whyte Davis, an early baseball pioneer who served as the president of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York City from 1858 to 1860, had a plan to get himself the Green-Wood monument he felt his legacy deserved. In 1892, long after he had played his last game, Davis announced a request: that every current player and official of the National League give 10 cents to pay for a home plate-shaped monument. It would be a true group effort by the world of baseball to memorialize one of its heroes. Davis would be dressed in his old Knickerbocker uniform, and wrapped in the team's original flag. He even wrote a glowing epitaph that would grace this crowdfunded monument.

But by the 1890s, the sport had moved on without Davis; most players didn't even know who he was. So this baseball trailblazer was buried in his uniform and team flag, but no monument marked his grave. That all changes on May 14th, thanks to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and Major League Baseball. At 10:00am, we'll unveil a new monument built to Davis' specifications - including that epitaph he wrote in which he references his old nickname "Too Late," apparently earned because he was often tardy to his own games. Celebrate Davis recognition at the free unveiling, then join Green-Wood Historian Jeff Richman and baseball expert, historian, and author Tom Gilbert for a trolley tour of early baseball pioneers at Green-Wood - many of whom knew and played with the man of the hour.