Green-Wood Vandalized

Tuesday morning started out like any other summer day at Green-Wood. About 90 men and women who work on the cemetery grounds reported for work and headed out to mow the lawns, trim the grass, and weed the gardens. But, something was not right, as Ken Nielsen, acting foreman of the south zone, discovered. And … Read more

Fifth Annual Benefit Host Committee

    HONORARY HOSTS United States Senator Charles Schumer Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz New York State Senator Eric Adams New York State Senator Martin Golden New York State Assemblywoman Joan L. Millman New York City Councilmember Vincent J. Gentile New York City Councilmember Sara M. Gonzalez New York City Councilmember David Greenfield New York … Read more

Minerva: Facing What?

On August 27, 1920, the 144th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn, the first battle of the American Revolution after the Declaration of Independence was issued and the largest battle of that war, a bronze sculpture of Minerva was unveiled on Green-Wood’s Battle Hill. Battle Hill was a key point in the Battle of Brooklyn–a … Read more

South Street Seaport–And Green-Wood

I spent much of this past Sunday exploring the South Street Seaport area. I’ve been wandering around that neighborhood for years. My last law office–when I was practicing law for The Legal Aid Society, Criminal Appeals Bureau, before I morphed into Green-Wood’s full-time historian, was at 199 Water Street. That was four years ago. Much … Read more

Another Mystery Solved

Our Civil War Project began in 2002, and has been going strong for almost 10 years now. Volunteers have searched the grounds for anything (an inscription, a marker, a symbol) indicating the interment of a Civil War veteran. We have compared 172,000 names of men who enlisted in Brooklyn or New York City against the … Read more

Greeting “The Greeter”

An enthusiastic crowd gathered this past Saturday to witness the unveiling of “The Greeter,” sculptor John Coleman’s gift to Green-Wood in honor of George Catlin, the father of art of the American West. For background on this event, go here. And you may read another entry about Catlin that has appeared in this blog here. … Read more

Sculptor Thomas Crawford

Our Green-Wood Historic Fund Collections continue to grow. Green-Wood’s president, Rich Moylan, is always on the look-out for paintings or sculpture by Green-Wood’s permanent residents. He recently purchased this marble bust: And here is the inscription on its back: “T. Crawford” is of course Thomas Crawford (1814-1857), renowned 19th-century sculptor best-known for his sculpture, “Statue … Read more

“Kings County” With Kurt Andersen

Kurt Andersen has quite the resume. A novelist, he also has written for movies, television, and theater. He has been a columnist for The New York Times, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, and The New Yorker. He is the host of “Studio 360” on Public Radio International and WNYC. A co-founder and editor of Spy … Read more