In an era before information was available at the click of a button, how did Americans keep in the know about the events and issues of their day? With great communicators of course! Join Harold Holzer,one of America’s leading authorities on Abraham Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil War era, for a discussion ... Read more

What are these organisms brightening up the landscape in shades of orange, yellow, green, blue, and even black? No, it’s not the flowers, it’s the lichen! Green-Wood is the ideal ecological oasis for lichen—colorful fungi that grow on gravestones and trees. Nova Patch will lead you on an exploration of the lichen found in the ... Read more

The Death Cafe is inspired by the centuries-old European salon (or cafe), an informal gathering to discuss philosophical, political or scientific ideas. In 2011, British entrepreneur Jon Underwood applied this concept to discussions of the most universal topic of all: death. Underwood’s intention was to provide an opportunity to “increase awareness of death with a ... Read more

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then pull up a chair, because we have many great stories to share with you! Among Green-Wood’s permanent residents are over 400 of some of the most acclaimed painters of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: Asher Durand, George Bellows, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, to name a few! Join ... Read more

Green-Wood isn’t wanting for extraordinary and monumental tombs, but many of its most remarkable residents lay buried under unmarked, modest, or sunken stones. It’s no wonder that visitors spend so much time looking for graves that are often easy to miss! You’ll learn about some of Green-Wood’s lesser-known—but equally fascinating—monuments across our 478 acres. Highlights ... Read more

Jeremiah Hamilton was a wheeler-dealer in an otherwise lily white business community. In the nineteenth century, he went toe-to-toe with the most powerful men in America, including Cornelius Vanderbilt, as he put together an unprecedented fortune—amassing nearly $2 Million by the time of his death (over $250 million today)!Live from Australia, Shane White, the world’s ... Read more

After you’ve devoured the turkey and stuffed yourself with pumpkin pie, escape from the house—especially if you need a break from multiple Zoom gatherings—and enjoy a walking tour of Green-Wood. Or if the whole family is still getting along, bring everyone!

Before our gates open to the general public, birding expert Rob Jett leads these peaceful Sunday morning walking tours to discover the many birds that call Green-Wood home.

Hosted by Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons and The Green-Wood Cemetery What can medieval manuscripts teach us today about living and dying well? Join Columbia Univ. physician L.S. Dugdale as she explores these texts and speaks from her new book The Lost Art of Dying. For more than 500 years, the 'ars ... Read more

Death is the great equalizer, right? Why then have funerary and burial practices been racially segregated in the United States for centuries? Why does death care continue to be one of the most segregated sectors of the American economy? This discussion uses these questions as a starting point to trace the evolution of African American ... Read more

Love and death have inspired artists, writers, and philosophers for millennia. But where do they perfectly intertwine? At a cemetery! This time around, you’ll hear more tales of the lovesick and heartbroken, including tawdry details of dramatic–and doomed–affairs. Learn all about the tortured marriage of William and Regina Steinway, the murder of Harvey Burdell, Augustus ... Read more

Everyone loves a little gossip, right? And no one could dish it like George Templeton Strong. Once a well-connected lawyer and a trustee of both Trinity Church and Columbia College (but also a man who reflected the racial, ethnic, and religious prejudices of his time), he is now perhaps best known for the extensive private ... Read more

This event has been postponed. There are plans to reschedule it at a later date. Join our email list for the latest event and other news from Green-Wood. This special edition of the popular Death Cafe is inspired by artist Heidi Lau. She will begin the evening discussing her art practice and the importance of ... Read more

Louis Comfort Tiffany was one of the most prolific and talented designers of the Gilded Age. You’ve probably heard his name associated with Tiffany lamps or Tiffany stained glass, but few people know that this remarkable and multi-talented artist was also in the gravestone business. In fact, his studio designed hundreds of cemetery monuments—sixty of ... Read more

In its heyday, Coney Island’s amusement parks drew massive crowds excited to take a spin on flashy modern rides. This is due in no small part to the genius of William F. Mangels, whose business designed and manufactured some of the most iconic rides of the era, including “The Whip,” carousels with galloping horses, and ... Read more

Ferdinand Ward was the greatest swindler of the Gilded Age, whose villainy bankrupted Ulysses S. Grant and stunned the world of finance. His fascinating story has been extensively researched by his great-grandson, award-winning historian Geoffrey C. Ward, author of A Disposition to be Rich. Drawing upon thousands of never before seen family documents, Geoffrey traces ... Read more

Opening its gates in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1831, Mount Auburn was America’s first rural cemetery, providing the model for cemeteries across the country—including Green-Wood! The list of luminaries buried within it is endless, including painter Winslow Homer, reformer Dorthea Dix, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and collector extraordinaire Isabella Stewart Gardner. Set among its 175 acres ... Read more

Back by popular demand! Green-Wood Historian Jeff Richman leads you on this behind-the-scenes look at the Cemetery’s extensive holdings of historical artifacts and ephemera. Acquired over the past twenty years, there are now over 10,000 items in the collection, unrivaled by any other cemetery in the United States. These items help illuminate the stories of ... Read more