PODCAST: Green-Wood Cemetery

Green-wood Cemetery is one of New York's oldest burial grounds, but its development reaches back all the way to the beginning of Brooklyn's surprising history -- in fact, to the founder of Brooklyn Heights.

Find out why it took an inventive city planner with a funny name, a dead New York icon, and a few errant parakeets to make this place a beautiful, richly historical place to visit today.

Listen to it for free on iTunes or other podcasting services. Or you can download or listen to it HERE

A romantic depiction of Green-wood, with the gate and a serene East River in the background


An old, original map of Green-wood. (Click in to see detail.)


Green-Wood was meant to be a place for the living as well as the dead. In fact, this engraving from 1855, I can't even identify any gravestones! (Pic courtesy Ancestors at Rest)


Richard Upjohn's Gothic revival gate with those two dramatic arches




A great picture of the entire structure (courtesy here)






A bold statue marks the spot where DeWitt Clinton was moved in 1844, in an effort to draw the attentions of New Yorkers initially unwilling to be buried at Green-wood


Minverva and the Altar to Liberty, a sculpture erected in 1920 and sculpted F. Wellington Ruxell, faces the East River, and a creative soul could imagine she's waving at the Statue of Liberty


Some spend eternity in ornate, theatrical mausoleums; others are laid to rest in simpler settings.





The lush plot of Henry Ward Beecher....


....while a simple stone marks the grave of his mistress Elizabeth Tilden


The hilly landscape makes from gorgeous scenery and very winding paths


Contrasting the solemn mood at Green-Wood are the flocks of monk parakeets nesting in the Upjohn spires (picture courtesy Brooklyn Parrots, which has a lot of great information the unusual Brookly parrot phenomenon)


Check this out, a great old illustrated book from 1847 of some of the original features of Green-Wood Cemetery.

The official website has more information on upcoming tours and events at Green-Wood. Here's what's going on there next Saturday:
"6:15 PM - SATURDAY NIGHT BY MOONLIGHT, FLASHLIGHT, AND FOOTLIGHTS - A WALK. Bring a flashlight, sign a waiver of liability, and you're all set. This special walk features live accordion music, a visit to the Catacombs, and the light (weather permitting) of a full moon. No reservation necessary. Admission is $20 for the public; $10 for Historic Fund members"

They have great maps at the front gate which indicate some of the most famous residents. You can also try self-guided walking guides by Big Onion and Walking Brooklyn.

There's also a great new-ish book of photographs by Alexandra Mosca taken at Green-Wood Cemetery, as part of the Images of America series.