We’re #1!

Thinking of exploring Brooklyn? Wondering what would be your best choice of a place to go? Well, how about The Green-Wood Cemetery? Green-Wood’s fans have made it the NUMBER ONE attraction in all of Brooklyn on Trip Advisor! Go here to read what some of our fans love about this incredible place. Thanks to all … Read more

First American Heavyweight Champ

Tom Hyer was born on January 1, 1819. His father was a prizefighter and Tom grew up to be a fine specimen of a man: 6 feet 2 and one-half inches, 190 pounds. In addition to his size, Hyer had the mentality and the heart for fighting. By the time he reached his early 20s, … Read more

Free Again

Green-Wood is many things: park, sculpture garden, arboretum, and wildlife preserve, to name a few. We recently added another bird to our population…

Wild and Crazy Rides

William F. Mangels is a fascinating figure: a pioneer of amusement rides and shooting galleries. His factory was in Coney Island, many of his rides were in the amusement parks there (though they are still found everywhere), and he is interred at Green-Wood in section 130, lot 37995. Here’s what I wrote about Mangels in … Read more

“The Valentine’s Day That Changed America”

We have an event planned for Green-Wood this Saturday, commemorating the Valentine’s Day of 1884, when, tragically, both Theodore Roosevelt’s wife, Alice (pictured above, with Theodore as a young man), and mother, Martha (shown here), died of disease. Roosevelt, a New York State Assemblyman at the time, was crushed. In fact, he wrote in his … Read more

Even A Tough Winter Has Its Saving Graces

This certainly has been a tough winter. No question: it is hard to enjoy all that snow shoveling, all that wandering through slush and puddles, all that cold. But there is a saving grace–the incredible beauty left by winter storms. And, over the last few days, that beauty has been on display at Green-Wood. It … Read more

Going Back To Our Roots

It is never easy to kill a tree. But sometimes it is a good idea. For several months now, I’ve been working with Elizabeth Christian, our intern extraordinaire, on Then and Now photographs of Green-Wood. We thought it would be interesting to gather historic 19th century images of the cemetery, then go out and take … Read more

February Birthdays

Celebrating February birthdays are Green-Wood’s permanent residents: February 3, 1811: Horace Greeley was the founder and editor of the New York Tribune which boasted the largest national circulation of any newspaper in the United States in the mid-19th-century. A political and social activist, he advocated many causes, including workers’ and women’s rights, manifest destiny and … Read more

Mulch, Free Trees, and Gardening

Green-Wood has long been known as a green oasis of trees and gardens. Well, now we are taking it up a notch. So, on April 16, we will be hosting a day devoted to gardening. Free mulch will be available. In cooperation with the New York Restoration Project, and as a part of the MillionTreesNYC, … Read more