It is always exciting to solve a mystery that you have been working on for years. So it was recently with this question: who was the sculptor of one of Green-Wood’s most interesting sculptures, the Romaine family bronze, what I usually refer to as “The Exhausted Angel?” Years ago, in searching the surface of this … Read more
In 2014, the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) mounted an exhibition, “”Palaces for the People: Guastavino and the Art of Structural Tile.” A wonderful public display, one of the best of the many museum exhibitions I have attended over the years, it told the story of Spanish immigrant Rafael Guastavino, Sr, his … Read more
Pete Hamill, Brooklynite, journalist, friend of “The Green-Wood,” now lies at The Green-Wood Cemetery. Hamill was a legend–a high school dropout who became a writer, rose to be the editor of the New York Daily News and the New York Post, and became a leading voice–and a legend–of Brooklyn and New York. He died on … Read more
In 2002, after Green-Wood restored and rededicated New York City’s Civil War Soldiers’ Monument, we launched Green-Wood’s Civil War Project. Its aim was to identify as many Civil War veterans as possible, to write a biography for each, and to mark, with gravestones obtained from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the graves of those that … Read more
There are many heroes at Green-Wood. Some are now dead. Some are still alive. Some were heroes because they bravely did their job. Others were heroes because they saw a job that needed to be done and took it upon themselves to do it. Heroes have stepped up to many challenges during Green-Wood’s 182 year … Read more
Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, was appointed in January to the Trump Administration’s White House Coronavirus Task Force. With his almost-daily appearances at nationally-televised press conferences, and his science-based approach, he has become famous. Dr. Fauci has had an extraordinary career … Read more
My most recent book, “The Gallant Sims”: A Civil War Hero Rediscovered, was published by The Green-Wood Historic Fund in 2016. It is the story of Samuel Harris Sims, a brave and noble man, who in 1861 left his work as a glass stainer in Brooklyn to fight to preserve the Union during the Civil … Read more
Green-Wood has millions and millions of records pertaining to the 574,000 individuals who are interred there. Sometimes the briefest of notations in these records can trigger a search through history–and uncover a long-forgotten story. Bob Moogan is a Green-Wood volunteer. Recently retired as an accountant, Bob decided that he wanted to explore history. So, for … Read more
Visitors to Green-Wood today are welcome to explore the cemetery on their own, with the help of maps, apps, and/or self-guided walking tours, or on a tour led by a Historic Fund tour guide. But what, you may wonder, was it like to explore Green-Wood in its early years, soon after its founding in 1838? … Read more
Green-Wood stories–and my blog posts–touch upon many diverse topics. But I never thought that I would be blogging about Russia. I am usually out on the cemetery grounds a few times a week. With 574,000 interments, 7,000 trees, and tens of thousands of gravestones, there is so much to see! Sometimes I notice, for the … Read more