In just four years, more than 750,000 soldiers and civilians lost their lives in the Civil War, leaving behind a grim landscape of death and destruction. Historian Drew Gilpin Faust weaves together a complex narrative of national grief, shared by both northerners and southerners, in her extraordinary and landmark book, This Republic of Suffering: Death ... Read more

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), who counts among Green-Wood’s permanent residents, was a true renaissance man of the twentieth century: conductor, composer, activist, and educator. Whether you know him from his work with the New York Philharmonic, sung along with Broadway megahit “West Side Story,” or watched his “Young People’s Concerts” on TV, it’s safe to say ... Read more

Life after death takes on a new meaning when discussing the Charlotte Canda monument and the cult fascination that has gripped Green-Wood’s visitors since it was erected. Often the poster child for Green-Wood in early guidebooks from the mid-1800s, the Canda gravesite is exemplary not only for its ornate decoration, but also for the tragic ... Read more

Death is universal, but its aftermath can be difficult—particularly when no one has money for a funeral. What happens to those who die with no family and no money? Social anthropologist Sally Raudon has traveled the world, exploring that issue across many cultures. Join Raudon and Green-Wood Historian Jeff Richman for a discussion about how ... Read more

What can we glean from the grief of the great American military battles, the AIDS Epidemic, 9-11, and Sandy Hook that is applicable to these uncertain days of the novel coronavirus? A great deal, as it happens. While commemorative flags, quilts, wreaths, home altars, obituaries, grave markers, scrap books, and stories are as relevant as ... Read more