The catacombs’ selling point was that if you were in fact still alive you could wake up and follow the natural light from the skylights not to mention a final resting space in the catacombs was also more affordable than a grand family mausoleum.
They are lit by skylights having been initially constructed for people who feared being buried alive, which seldomly happened but in the early 19th century became such a widespread fear in addition to that fear being heightened by Edgar Allan Poe in his stories that led to an invention of ‘ safety coffins‘ during this period. The catacombs are underground walkways linking thirty underground vaults. Minerva faces west toward her sister, the Statue of Liberty, whose epic torch of freedom is saluted by Minerva’s upheld hand this connection symbolizing the commemoration of this significant battle in American history. She stands atop Battle Hill, commemorating the Battle of Long Island at the outset of the Revolutionary War, the first and largest battle that resulted in a loss to the British troops. The bronze statue of Minerva depicts the Roman goddess of wisdom. The brownstone gate, with its distinctive, delicate tracery, is unique to New York.Īnd if you look up, watch for one of our favorite hidden gems in Brooklyn, the monk parakeets as they nest here! And fun fact, these parakeets actually protect and preserve not only the grand entrance but the neighboring brownstones! These parakeets keep the pigeons away whose excrement actually highly acidic and overtime damages buildings. If Green-Wood Cemetery were a crown, its entrance would be a jewel! Designed by Richard Upjohn in Gothic Revival Style, its double gates feature two pointed arches and three looming pinnacled towers. The following are the must-see sites of this National Historic Landmark: The Brownstone Gate And every aspect of the site is lovingly studied and kept. history from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars up to this day. Being the second oldest rural cemetery, it has preserved U. Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn has always served as a tourist attraction but also as a national memorial. Points of Interest in Green-Wood Cemetery Undoubtedly one of the best things to do in Brooklyn and one of the best unofficial parks in Brooklyn, Green-Wood Cemetery has many wonderful highlights, points of interest, and stories to uncover. Their markers are dappled by the sunlight that filters through the cool shadows cast by 8,000 trees and shrubs.įrom exotic Camperdown elms to native Tulip trees, Green-Wood’s flora is extensively detailed on the following websites: Green-Wood Tree Finder and The New York Phenology Project. Of course, as a cemetery, Green-Wood also hosts the artfully arranged ranks of some 560,000 residents-and counting. “It is the ambition of New Yorker to live upon Fifth Avenue, to take his airing in the Central Park, and to sleep with his fathers in Green-Wood.” It should come as no surprise then that the iconic Central Park and Prospect Park were later built to compete with the beauty of Green-Wood Cemetery. After all, Green-Wood was technically Brooklyn’s first recreational park.īy 1860, Green-Wood Cemetery was the second most visited tourist attraction in the nation, right after Niagara Falls.
All of which help cast a spell over visitors.ĭuring the Victorian and Edwardian eras, a family spreading a blanket for an afternoon picnic wasn’t an uncommon sight. Japanese cherry-blossom trees flourish near an ornamental pond. The magnificent Gothic revival gates house Argentinian monk parrots. Its maze-like collection of winding walkways sprawls across 478 acres. Inspired in part by the Pere Lachaise Cemetery of Paris, but more particularly by the Highgate Cemetery of London and the Mount Auburn Cemetery of Massachusetts, Green-Wood was founded in 1838 by Henry Evelyn Pierrepont and designed by David Bates Douglass.
The strange and marvelous Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn currently attracts half a million people every year, matching its heyday in the late 19th century. Yet among the many jaw-dropping treasures Brooklyn holds, Green-Wood Cemetery stands front and center.
So, what might otherwise inspire the typical person to see tombstones? Admiring natural scenery, architecture, or art installations might not be the first answers springing to mind. Few go without a particular, somber purpose in mind. People these days don’t often visit cemeteries.
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