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From Disaster, Hope
As I reported in “Sandy Hammers Green-Wood,”our recent hurricane visitor was not kind to Green-Wood’s grounds. Approximately 300 mature trees–oaks, maples, beeches, and more, were toppled or snapped off. And, those tons of wood landed on more than 200 monuments, shattering angels and gravestones. But it was not all a loss. In fact, it was … Read more
“A Pop Star In The Age of Lincoln”
On October 13 we unveiled “The Angel of Music,” a bronze sculpture, at the grave of Louis Moreau Gottschalk (, America’s first international musical superstar. The blog post about that event, “Welcome, Angel of Music,” is here. Last week, on NPR’s “On Point,” Tom Ashbrook devoted his show to Gottschalk. His guests were Richard Rosenberg, … Read more
” . . . Green-Wood Bore The Brunt” of Hurricane Sandy
Just a few days after Hurricane Sandy hit Brooklyn, we blogged about the extensive damage to trees, memorials, and fences at Green-Wood Cemetery: “Sandy Hammers Green-Wood.” In today’s New York Times, reporter David W. Dunlap updates the sad story of destruction: “In a Historic Resting Place, a Different Sort of Loss: Hurricane Sandy Damaged Many … Read more
Honoring Baseball Pioneer James Creighton
Brooklyn was the incubator of baseball in the National Pastime’s infancy–the 1840s, 50s, and 60s. And, the first national baseball hero and legend, James Creighton, is interred at Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery–where almost 200 baseball pioneers are permanent residents (you may find Glenn Collins’s wonderful article about Green-Wood and baseball, which was published in The New … Read more
On Green-Wood’s Grounds
October is a great time of year for projects on Green-Wood’s grounds. I recently checked in with Art Presson, Green-Wood’s superintendent of the grounds, who described some of the recent work: In October, when the mowing requirements lighten up and before the leaves cover the grounds, we have a brief window of opportunity when we … Read more
Seeing Green-Wood In a New Way
This Saturday and Sunday, volunteers, in character and costume, will fan out across Green-Wood’s grounds to present a production like no other: “Open ‘Houses.” Last year, for the first time, the Green-Wood Historic Fund opened up many of its mausoleums to the public for the first time. For the blog post on that weekend, click … Read more
Green-Wood Historic Fund Celebrates
Last week, The Green-Wood Historic Fund held its fifth annual benefit. And it was quite a celebration of what certainly was the Historic Fund’s greatest year: a new app of Green-Wood was released, a record number of trolley tours and new highs in attendance at a broad range of events were achieved, a great “Open … Read more
R.I.P.: “Restoration in Progress”
Eight years ago, Green-Wood launched its “Restoration in Progress” program. At the cutting edge of cemetery monument restorations, it has, since its founding, been led by Frank Morelli. Frank has studied gravestone restoration and has pioneered in the use of a broad range of techniques, including the use of molds to recreate casts of missing … Read more
Battle of Brooklyn, 236 Years Later
Our annual Battle of Brooklyn commemoration was bigger and better than ever this year. On Sunday, August 26, we commemorated the 236th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn (the battle was fought on August 27, 1776)–and it was a wonderful day all around. The Battle of Brooklyn, a good deal of which was fought across … Read more