Green-Wood Artist, Inspired By Other Green-Wood Artists

Since its founding, Green-Wood Cemetery has inspired artists with the magnificence of its grounds. The gravestones, sculptures, vistas, trees, blooms, and gardens have all moved artists to do what they do best: create their art. David Listokin is an artist within this tradition. David, a trained artist, attended the performance of “Angels and Accordions” last … Read more

50 Years Ago Today

On March 2, 1961, exactly 50 years ago today, the remains of Harold Hartshorne and his wife Louisa were interred at Green-Wood Cemetery in the Hartshorne family lot, lot 16689. On February 15, 1961, Harold and Louisa had flown out of what was then Idlewild Airport (now Kennedy Airport) with the United States Figure Skating … Read more

No Longer Free Wheelin’

Susan Elizabeth Rotolo died last Friday. Her remains were cremated at Green-Wood on Saturday. Though few would recognize her name, she did have her moment of fame. From 1961 into 1964, she was Bob Dylan’s girlfriend. She is the woman, with Dylan, on the cover of his album, “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan,” released by Columbia … Read more

Discovering Brooklyn

New York City is composed of five boroughs. I know that’s true; I’ve checked my map. But sometimes it seems that Brooklyn is just too far away for those who inhabit the island of Manhattan. I remember doing a book fair in Central Park three or so years ago and trying to explain to those … Read more

Chew On This

Thomas Adams (1818-1905) fancied himself quite an inventor. But things were not going well for him. Try as he might, he could not turn chicle into rubber products. As his experiments failed and his frustration grew, he popped a piece of chicle into his mouth. And a new industry, chewing gum, was thereby born. Adams … Read more

Gabriel Harrison: Artist

Gabriel Harrison (1818–1902) was one of those rare men who had not just one, but several remarkable careers. Born in Philadelphia to a long line of artisans, Harrison moved to New York with his family in the 1820s. His father, Charles P. Harrison, an artist and engraver, entertained other artists and philosophers in his home on … Read more

He “Died For the Cause of Emancipation”

December 16 is the 151st anniversary of the execution of John E. Cook by hanging. Born in Haddam, Connecticut, Cook moved to Brooklyn to study law. A follower of the famous abolitionist John Brown, he went to Kansas in 1855 where he was the only man to reach the rank of captain in Brown’s Kansas … Read more

Oh So In Love

Sylvia Gerrish had quite a run. Born in California, she sang in her church choir, then came to New York City as an entertainer. According to her obituary in The New York Times, she “soon went on the stage, sang before royalty and was the toast of the town. After a while she met (Henry … Read more

Birds Flying High

Marge Raymond and Rob Jett have been birding at Green-Wood for years. And, remarkably, after all these years, they still are making new discoveries. So, just last week, they were out birding at Green-Wood when they came across something they never before had seen there: a flock of bluebirds. Now, I know from a fifth … Read more

Always More To Find

The more I see of Green-Wood, the more amazed I am. It’s a big place: 561,000 burials, 478 acres, 7,000 trees, tens of thousands of monuments. I’ve been wandering its grounds for twenty years now. And, I am still seeing so many things that I’ve never seen before.