Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn
Encyclopedia
Cypress Hills Cemetery was the first non-sectarian/non-denominational cemetery corporation organized in the Brooklyn
/Queens
area of New York City
. The Cemetery is run as a non-for-profit organization and is located at 833 Jamaica Avenue
in Brooklyn. The Cemetery occupies both Kings and Queens counties and its 225 acres are divided by the Jackie Robinson Parkway(formally the Interboro Parkway). Cypress Hills retains its two primary entrances at Jamaica Avenue(Brooklyn) and Cooper Avenue(Queens). The Cemetery reveals its historical significance through an extensive record of New York's most notable figures buried there. Established in 1848 east of the Ridgewood Reservoir
, a section of the cemetery was designated as the Cypress Hills National Cemetery
in 1862 as a military burial ground for soldiers of the American Civil War
, which in 1941 received the bodies of 235 Confederate prisoners who died on Hart Island
.
In Marvel Comics
, Cypress Hill Cemetery served as the headquarters of the supernatural superhero team, The Midnight Sons.
The Cemetery was also introduced in many Ghost Rider
comics featuring the Legion of Vengeance.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
/Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
area of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The Cemetery is run as a non-for-profit organization and is located at 833 Jamaica Avenue
Jamaica Avenue
Jamaica Avenue is a major avenue in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City, New York, in the United States. Jamaica Avenue starts at Broadway and Fulton Street in the East New York neighborhood in Brooklyn, and goes to the city line in Bellerose, Queens, where it becomes Jericho...
in Brooklyn. The Cemetery occupies both Kings and Queens counties and its 225 acres are divided by the Jackie Robinson Parkway(formally the Interboro Parkway). Cypress Hills retains its two primary entrances at Jamaica Avenue(Brooklyn) and Cooper Avenue(Queens). The Cemetery reveals its historical significance through an extensive record of New York's most notable figures buried there. Established in 1848 east of the Ridgewood Reservoir
Ridgewood Reservoir
Ridgewood Reservoir is a decommissioned 19th century reservoir that sits on the Brooklyn-Queens border and is part of Highland Park. The reservoir and park are bounded on the north by the Jackie Robinson Parkway, on the south by Highland Boulevard, on the west by Vermont Place and on the east by...
, a section of the cemetery was designated as the Cypress Hills National Cemetery
Cypress Hills National Cemetery
Cypress Hills National Cemetery is the only United States National Cemetery in New York City and has more than 21,100 interments of veterans and civilians. There are 24 Medal of Honor recipients buried in the cemetery, including three men who won the award twice...
in 1862 as a military burial ground for soldiers of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, which in 1941 received the bodies of 235 Confederate prisoners who died on Hart Island
Hart Island, New York
Hart Island, sometimes referred to as Hart's Island, is a small island in New York City at the western end of Long Island Sound. It is approximately a mile long and one quarter of a mile wide and is located to the northeast of City Island in the Pelham Islands group...
.
Features
The cemetery features:- Cypress Hills Abbey Built in 1931.
- Memorial Abbey Built in 1936.
- Melrose Memorial Garden Built in 2008.
- 225 acres of Rural cemetery
- An extensive historical record of the Nation's notable figures
- An urn garden
- War of 1812 Memorial
- Civil War Soldiers plot
Notable interments
- Vytautas BacevičiusVytautas BacevičiusVytautas Bacevičius was a Lithuanian composer of decidedly radical and modernistic leanings. Most of his works are in an atonal idiom of his own devising...
(1905-1970), Lithuanian pianist and composer - Eubie BlakeEubie BlakeJames Hubert Blake was an American composer, lyricist, and pianist of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1921, Blake and long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote the Broadway musical Shuffle Along, one of the first Broadway musicals to be written and directed by African Americans...
(1883-1983), musician and composer - Homer Lusk CollyerCollyer brothersHomer Lusk Collyer and Langley Wakeman Collyer , known as the Collyer brothers, were two American brothers who became famous because of their bizarre nature and compulsive hoarding...
(1881-1947), recluse and hoarder - Langley CollyerCollyer brothersHomer Lusk Collyer and Langley Wakeman Collyer , known as the Collyer brothers, were two American brothers who became famous because of their bizarre nature and compulsive hoarding...
(1885-1947), recluse and hoarder - James J. CorbettJames J. CorbettJames John "Gentleman Jim" Corbett was an Irish-American heavyweight boxing champion, best known as the man who defeated the great John L. Sullivan. He also coached boxing at the Olympic Club in San Francisco...
(1866-1933), World Heavyweight boxing champion - Hiram CronkHiram CronkHiram Cronk was the last surviving veteran of the War of 1812 at the time of his death.Born in Frankfort, New York, Cronk enlisted with his father and two brothers on August 4, 1814. He served with the New York Volunteers in the defense of Sackett's Harbor, and was discharged November 16, 1814....
(1800-1905), last surviving veteran of the War of 1812War of 1812The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant... - Mock DuckMock duckMock duck is a gluten-based vegetarian food. It is generally made from wheat gluten and is thus high in protein. Its distinctive flavor and artificial "plucked duck" texture distinguish it from other forms of commercially available gluten products. Mock duck can be found in some Chinese grocery...
(1879-1941), New York Chinese gang leader - Monk EastmanMonk EastmanEdward "Monk" Eastman was a New York City Gangster who founded and led one of the most powerful street gangs in New York City at the turn of the Twentieth Century, the Eastman Gang. His other aliases included Joseph "Joe" Morris, Joe Marvin, William "Bill" Delaney, and Edward "Eddie" Delaney...
, real name Edward Osterman, (1873-1920), notorious New York Gang leader - Lee FalkLee FalkLee Falk, born Leon Harrison Gross , was an American writer, theater director, and producer, best known as the creator of the popular comic strip superheroes The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician, who at the height of their popularity attracted over a hundred million readers every day...
(1911-1999), cartoonist, creator of The PhantomThe PhantomThe Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is... - Bob "Death to Flying Things" Ferguson (1845-1894), major league baseball player, manager
- Gloria FosterGloria FosterGloria Foster was an American actress, most known for her stage performances portraying an array of African-American characters, including her acclaimed roles in plays In White America and Having Our Say, winning three Obie Awards during her career.In films, she was perhaps best known as The...
(1933-2001), actress - Kate FoxFox sistersThe Fox sisters were three sisters from New York who played an important role in the creation of Spiritualism. The three sisters were Leah Fox , Margaret Fox and Kate Fox . The two younger sisters used "rappings" to convince their much older sister and others that they were communicating with...
(1837-1892), spiritualist - Maggie FoxFox sistersThe Fox sisters were three sisters from New York who played an important role in the creation of Spiritualism. The three sisters were Leah Fox , Margaret Fox and Kate Fox . The two younger sisters used "rappings" to convince their much older sister and others that they were communicating with...
(1833-1893), spiritualist - Irving LehmanIrving LehmanIrving Lehman was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 1940 until his death in 1945.- Biography:...
(1876-1945), Chief Judge of the NY Court of Appeals - George Leonidas Leslie (1842-1878) Architect, Noted Bank Robber
- Rosetta LenoireRosetta LeNoireRosetta LeNoire was an American stage, screen, and television actress, as well as a Broadway producer and casting agent....
(1911-2002), actress, National Medal of the Arts winner - George H. Mills (1843-1885), murderer
- Piet MondrianPiet MondrianPieter Cornelis "Piet" Mondriaan, after 1906 Mondrian , was a Dutch painter.He was an important contributor to the De Stijl art movement and group, which was founded by Theo van Doesburg. He evolved a non-representational form which he termed Neo-Plasticism...
(1872-1944), Dutch painter - Victor MooreVictor MooreVictor Frederick Moore was an American actor of stage and screen, as well as a comedian, writer, and director.-Personal life:...
(1876-1962), actor, comedian - Jackie RobinsonJackie RobinsonJack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
(1919-1972), Hall of Fame baseball player, the first African-American player in the major leagues - Arturo Alfonso SchomburgArturo Alfonso SchomburgArturo Alfonso Schomburg, a.k.a. as Arthur Schomburg, , was a Puerto Rican historian, writer, and activist in the United States who researched and raised awareness of the great contributions that Afro-Latin Americans and Afro-Americans have made to society. He was an important intellectual figure...
(1874-1938), founder of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York City - Mae WestMae WestMae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
(1893-1980), actress, comedienne, and playwright; second floor of the Cypress Hills Abbey - Josh WhiteJosh WhiteJoshua Daniel White , better known as Josh White, was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor, and civil rights activist. He also recorded under the names "Pinewood Tom" and "Tippy Barton" in the 1930s....
(1914-1969), musician - John B. WoodJohn B. WoodJohn B. Wood was a 19th century journalist from Lebanon, Maine. At various times hewas employed by the New York Times, New York Tribune, The Sun , New York Herald, and the New York Evening News. He was educated atthe Kennebunk Academy until he was sixteen...
(1827-1884), journalist
Cultural references
Cypress Hills Cemetery was opened for burials in 1851 and was designed to emulate a "rural cemetery" setting. The Cemetery features lush surroundings, rolling hills, and centuries old Cypress trees. Its location in one of the busiest areas in Brooklyn made it a challenge to preserve its natural beauty through 150 years of industrial and economic advancement. Today, the Cemetery serves as the final resting place for over 400,000 individuals. The history of Cypress Hills Cemetery is featured in the book, "Images of America: Cypress Hills Cemetery" by Stephen C. Duer and Allen B. Smith.In Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, Cypress Hill Cemetery served as the headquarters of the supernatural superhero team, The Midnight Sons.
Midnight Sons
The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional...
The Cemetery was also introduced in many Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (comics)
Ghost Rider is the name of several fictional supernatural antiheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Night Rider and subsequently to Phantom Rider.The first supernatural Ghost Rider is...
comics featuring the Legion of Vengeance.
See also
- List of United States cemeteries
- Cemetery of the Evergreens, BrooklynCemetery of the Evergreens, BrooklynThe Cemetery of the Evergreens is a non-denominational cemetery in Brooklyn and Queens, New York, colloquially called Evergreen Cemetery. It was incorporated in 1849, not long after the passage of New York's Rural Cemetery Act spurred development of cemeteries outside Manhattan. For a time, it was...
- Cypress Hills, BrooklynCypress Hills, BrooklynCypress Hills is a sub-section of the East New York neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, lying north of City Line and south of Cypress Hills Cemetery, in the far northeastern corner of Brooklyn. It is abutted on the west by Bushwick and on the east, across the Brooklyn–Queens border, by...
- Rural Cemetery ActRural Cemetery ActThe Rural Cemetery Act was a law passed by the New York Legislature on April 27, 1847, that authorized commercial burial grounds in rural New York state. The law led to burial of human remains becoming a commercial business for the first time, replacing the traditional practice of burying the dead...