In April, I posted “In Memoriam: Captain Richard V.W. Thorne, Jr.” In that blog post, I discussed my purchase, on behalf of The Green-Wood Historic Fund, of a memorial book, created in 1875 upon Captain Thorne’s death by the men who served in the Brooklyn City Guard with him. I also reported that he was … Read more
An exciting new book has just been published: “Guide to New York City Urban Landscapes.” It is by Francis Morrone and Robin Lynn, with photographs by Edward A. Toran. The foreword is by Pete Hamill. It features Green-Wood on its cover, an introduction by Green-Wood’s president, Richard Moylan, and a tour of Green-Wood. In all, … Read more
Over my years, I have learned that often one thing leads to another. That happened again recently. A few months ago I purchased a carte de visite photographic portrait on the front of which was written, “Alexr. Saeltzer. Archt.” I recognized that name as that of a 19th-century New York City architect (who designed the … Read more
The New York Hilton Midtown recently announced that it is discontinuing room service to its 2000 rooms. As The New York Times reported, “The decision to jettison room service at the New York Hilton, reported by Crain’s New York Business, comes as other large hotels have cut back menus or reduced hours in recent years, … Read more
A landmark exhibition, “Photography and the American Civil War,” is now open at The Metropolitan Museum. Featuring 200 photographs, some classics, some obscure, the exhibition is spectacular. If you have any interest at all in photography and/or history, don’t miss it. Photography and the Civil War go hand in hand. Much of what we know … Read more
As Memorial Day rapidly approaches, we think of the men and women who have sacrificed so much in service to this country. We honor their service. In 2002, we launched Green-Wood’s Civil War Project. We wanted to identify and locate the graves of Civil War veterans who are interred at Green-Wood. And, over the years, … Read more
Yesterday, “A Beautiful Way to Go: New York’s Green-Wood Cemetery,” opened at the Museum of the City of New York. The exhibition is a celebration of Green-Wood’s extraordinary 175 years. It is a great opportunity to educate the public about the cemetery’s history (by the 1850s, Green-Wood was attracting half a million visitors a year … Read more
Hurricane Sandy, with intense winds across Green-Wood’s 478 acres a few months ago, toppled, snapped off, and broke into pieces about 300 of our 7,000 trees. Now, in order to make amends, and at the same time bring to fruition several long-anticipated tree-planting projects, Art Presson, Green-Wood’s superintendent of the grounds, has gotten to work … Read more
Recently, I came across an online item for sale. Here’s what it looks like: Not very impressive on the outside. But, on the inside . . . It was described by the seller as follows: An original and very ornate one of a kind MEMORIAL book prepared by the BROOKLYN CITY GUARD, an early Militia … Read more
2013 will be a banner year at Green-Wood. The Green-Wood Cemetery was chartered by the State of New York on April 18, 1838. So, in a few weeks we will mark our 175th anniversary. We are ready to celebrate–in both big and small ways. In mid-May, a landmark exhibition, “A Beautiful Way To Go,” devoted to … Read more