Green-Wood Cemetery reports and publications
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Abstract
The Green-Wood Cemetery, established in 1838, was designed by David Bates Douglass to be used both as a cemetery and as a public space. It served as a park to Brooklyn and Manhattan residents before Central Park and Prospect Park were constructed and was also used as an inspiration for the design of Central Park by Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted. In 2007, Green-Wood Cemetery was designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior. As of 2011, the cemetery has over 560,000 people interred within its 478 acres. The Green-Wood Cemetery reports and publications span the years 1839 to 1995 and measure 1.75 linear feet. Included in the collection are reports of the Board of Trustees and various publications such as catalogues of proprietors, financial reports, rules and regulations, and suggestions to lot owners.
Historical note
The Green-Wood Cemetery, established in 1838, was designed by David Bates Douglass to be used both as a cemetery and as a public space. It served as a park to Brooklyn and Manhattan residents before Central Park and Prospect Park were constructed and was also used as an inspiration for the design of Central Park by Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted. Located in what is now the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, people have visited the cemetery over the years to pay respect to the deceased interred at the cemetery, as well as to experience the natural park-like setting and enjoy the stunning views of New York Harbor. Since the reinterment of De Witt Clinton at Green-Wood Cemetery in 1844 (he was originally buried in Albany, N.Y.), Green-Wood has become an extremely popular local attraction, with people visiting the cemetery to see the famous and infamous people buried there. In 2007, Green-Wood Cemetery was designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior. As of 2011, the cemetery has over 560,000 people interred within its 478 acres.
Sources:
- Bergman, Edward F. "Green-Wood Cemetery." In The Encyclopedia of New York City, edited by Kenneth T. Jackson, 509-510. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press; New York: New-York Historical Society, 1995.
- Green-Wood Cemetery. "About/History." Accessed March 24, 2011. http://www.green-wood.com/about-history/
- "Sunset Park." In The Neighborhoods of Brooklyn, edited by Kenneth T. Jackson and John B. Manbeck, 200-205. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2004.
Scope and Contents note
The Green-Wood Cemetery reports and publications span the years 1839 to 1995 and measure 1.75 linear feet. Included in the collection are reports of the Board of Trustees and various publications such as catalogues of proprietors, financial reports, rules and regulations, and suggestions to lot owners.
Box 1 contains: Reports of the Board of Trustees of the Green-Wood Cemetery, 1871 to 1900.
Box 2 contains: Reports of the Board of Trustees of the Green-Wood Cemetery, 1901 to 1933.
Box 3 contains: Reports of the Board of Trustees of the Green-Wood Cemetery, 1934 to 1966. Also included are the reports for the years 1988 and 1995. The reports list the names of the officers of the Board and employees of the cemetery; provide a written report to cemetery lot owners summarizing yearly decisions of the board; list an abstract of receipts and expenditures; and list details of expenditures and other financial information. Beginning in 1918, the reports also include an historical list of the officers of the Board of Trustees.
Box 4 contains: Various publications including the catalogue of proprietors for the years 1845, 1863, and 1866; reports of receipts and expenditures for the years 1861, 1862, and 1864 to 1869; rules and regulations (with appendix) for the years 1843, 1845, 1910, and 1922; and suggestions to lot owners for the years 1886, 1887, 1892, and 1900.
Box 5 contains: Exposition of the plan and objects of the Green-Wood Cemetery, 1839; Pamphlet, 1842; By-laws, 1842, 1868, 1895, 1908; Report of the Vice-President, 1844; Catalogue of Photographic Views, 1863; Acts of Incorporation - Amendments, 1876; Handbook for Green-Wood, by N. Cleaveland, 1867; Map, 1881; Suggestions to the lot-owners, twenty-second edition, 1914; The Windows of the Green-Wood Chapel, circa 1920s.
Also included in the collection is one bound volume containing a photocopy of the catalogue of proprietors for the year 1884. The catalog includes the names of the lot owners, the lot number, and the location of the lot in the Green-Wood Cemetery.
Subjects
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Green-Wood Cemetery reports and publications, ARC.153, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Source and date of acquisition for this collection are unknown.
About this Guide
Processing Information note
Minimally processed to the collection level.
Processed by Patricia Glowinski on December 10, 2010. Additional content contributed by Emily Reynolds on January 14, 2011. Box five, which appeared to had been separated from the collection prior to processing, added to the collection by John Zarrillo, December 2015.
