Green Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn: A Picture Thread

Four Tripods
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RSfRjAElKw7j8S4zL60O_SeFuyonHJA3eQjZ0C45PrU%3Dw929-h1238-no

a few intense obelisk types, notable either for design, setting or nomenclature

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/dQkoJRQNijgaGvjc_wW0M5Eu41Lmf6g5NWeNIj8j6MM%3Dw929-h1238-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CTuW41Om-ZTdAWi_Sx4tsYmVHHRevM6p25kk7m8lCoc%3Dw887-h1238-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/SxCqna8aVFu_yTRjsq_td46wu1MYCbYMuM4Ovmz5nP0%3Dw1043-h1238-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/t3CWTvLZgzSsEC_TlKCC0rY8xGwDOUGc2kw-zBpaQ4o%3Dw929-h1238-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/LZvXsAZ_r7rCZ9PR0U066tQLjmVIlLLMmeEXOBYjeqU%3Dw959-h1238-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_04GOPTppq19hVtfWvoG3ydOTJj3atGxXp4qgZQ8dFI%3Dw929-h1238-no

on the second to last "FATHER AND MOTHER" one, you'll see a metal disc near the base. Those are marked "Eternal Care" and tend to be in better shape than other graves. As well as they keep the place up, you do run into LOTS of graves that are knocked over from gravity or weather... many graves are on very steep hills and topple over. some wear down over time. in many cases, you'll find pieces of the stone scattered nearby, often the toppers for some of the older and more rococo pieces poke up from the ground like chess pieces or wedding decorations. In many cases, especially where there's delicate sculpture work near to the ground, time has worn the stone down so much that it's barely recognizable as a form. Some of those fetal pieces are strangely touching and sad.

Some damaged and worn markers:
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/GBzF-LoXHRpzymr0EdiNtiDWN_nJ-Pg2VzbtcuZns64%3Dw1291-h1232-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/nIMuEu1rp7FfQ_MvRLUEScOx2qYnGn7D6rXtbyKEJac%3Dw1160-h1238-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gzzs7gQGBhcXz12ylcCjgXHj1-tU-8-72qK_MVMe9aE%3Dw1012-h1238-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gJ9cZKG_HmtTF9gcd4HwR7tGnmaDY5QfxkD3JlZH5zE%3Dw1291-h969-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/yk6sMsfcK7A3GU_DzRvPqsG28jueZWMK1eRf4yWSqGw%3Dw1291-h1200-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xD0irN-adE8MxRJYoD6wCe6s7Wfeqf6UKAORW2V2Qgw%3Dw929-h1238-no

Amidst a smattering of stones, I found a burrow hole as thick and wide as a man's leg that carved directly into several folks final resting place. That is one macabre fox.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Iy4OberD4gXZqUsQ2KyjJHaWLAVRE_lWCUYYNya1sNE%3Dw1076-h1238-no

many of the trees in greenwood predate the cemetery and you will quite often find cases where the headstones have been eaten by them

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/9Mh39PIcnctosZeXZH3AFiylNBavwgTrEdyAAvFvv6E%3Dw1214-h1238-no

a handful of interesting stones:

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Bqvj45kT6pYXn1oJHcZrCcD_m587zs6qk6jrnqT032Q%3Dw1291-h969-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IT2QAy2IbeRpQb-s8yBYW4kSSFbzOFMGvVyfd6UZFOo%3Dw886-h1238-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QxeMAA7M_9MBZQ7-Le0ak5ZbQtYLWOTzLY0PHCNtMVs%3Dw1276-h1238-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/eBWQsCPy-pXWKiURLVtrbOXyuoEZxZK8WeGGVp36g1g%3Dw1154-h1238-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/PmI5jrIEnQvZ4QlWfeCL8MzEZgMIx-BuxPwJIq27FqU%3Dw1291-h1132-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/w0ylzZAvi88wy3xZ7oD2w33f34JxUPl-gfV4Dx7_FOw%3Dw929-h1238-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bE-aTdzV5Tg5YXIz4d3U5SYWKh6rTHmPEJsCrp5nWS4%3Dw836-h1238-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/dAh7RV9p4n46NpTQE3xJSGOtlBhPBgfKuT9hfvE15Po%3Dw1061-h1238-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/JYB9quHRhpvw_78mkGrqTwJQ7dm9Ww_0Lt2336pceFk%3Dw1291-h630-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/GVJDdH2ilQJHfAOddejSUTBCt7WmRm_-K2yzufPrWVU%3Dw988-h1238-no

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/weAPOyvQllaPw5DDVeSnr93zyXwMfUnx76Ok-qEu2B4%3Dw1291-h969-no

At this site, where the most recent burial was over a century ago, the graves themselves feature carefully cultivated shrubbery growing over the coffins.
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/z_CUwFILHpeH1kQ1J2815R8hSjCj0ONMyHFBvaJafLo%3Dw1291-h969-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NNiUnSVzX0-q3i8f-ACQyI71uQjAUfRQ_B6YcUiNTzQ%3Dw929-h1238-no

more to come

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/civLiQaLp9P-iX1-8tMWRVATBVOPUNEE0eguE_WzCkk%3Dw929-h1238-no

the rose marble cylinders on the sides of this piece were loose enough where you could likely have pulled them out

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TR2lI_E7pq4mkwmuesH7DYgx6HAf5alh4zTuXp7EHJY%3Dw929-h1238-no

this zinc?/copper? "gravepole" was completely hollow and rang out when i knocked on the side like a bell

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TR2lI_E7pq4mkwmuesH7DYgx6HAf5alh4zTuXp7EHJY%3Dw929-h1238-no

if you look to the right side you'll see an adjoining marble fire helmet at roughly ankle height... looks like there was some drama in the funeral plans.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CC-ZFDCdO-v03a172FRun8qlseYxvk0GDyUr0oKz99o%3Dw1291-h975-no

whoops, that first photo should've been:

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/15qaiI4CM8BeLQnbBBqdCJabe4CZc-Y-drRIvmepJvw%3Dw929-h1238-no

another hollow metal marker for a nine year old: "GONE FROM OUR HOME, BUT NOT FROM OUR HEART".
Given that the marker is 115 years old, I can't imagine who left the stone and the not-so-ancient fake flowers.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7AlX2ssuLRFkIOEeWLjtExwM-EF28tY0Yj74j5J4LCI%3Dw1292-h764-no

Is this a colonnade? a gazebo? it's pretty goddam imposing whatever it is. each of the four slabs is a sarcophagus for the James family.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6M5OGek5qBDorfbs_tWDsyWu1zOi7902WCof4NqTJDc%3Dw1291-h969-no

the inner circle is engraved with scripture and the individual names. there's a semicircle bench to sit on that looks decidedly uncomfortable.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4fk_61qfXPL62iZUVsYhiRCMtYrqdKypTsAdy_Zbtb0%3Dw1291-h969-no

Fun with Typography: the NYTimes' "T"!

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/iILLMKmUcvsuXnh_vb7nJX9u8yqZJ_GIKI_nx0lxbvs%3Dw929-h1238-no

typography here is killing me

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/t74OH_XpNkJbY99tEY6dIponxIZCGX_WKMDZG-_cxCM%3Dw929-h1238-no

there's a lot of great moments for the eagle-eyed out here; we noticed that Charles Christmas was born on Christmas Eve

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/dVB5IbvZU448V3TYY583R8p7h5ewzb-vSMDHBiZPQYw%3Dw929-h1238-no

score one for the jews

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sEj2ofdNsP0SkdAXHCcsEI_Jot_ci_oag3Qp_3wrcLc%3Dw1291-h768-no

this particular family plot featured an array of ultra gothic, weatherworn markers with a sailor motif

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4LDwJUvnATVCw5d_9puZ6YFmwLuNaB5LqtSUsB4Ftz0%3Dw1291-h969-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/MtG-PQ22cCa3-13gk7qdTwqoLmtjQCTl-fltskRJXfo%3Dw739-h1238-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cz5UFhIx5_lUcsZjVG_JwDo266Wgpf9Imibf7ZWlGH4%3Dw708-h1238-no

A more contemporary piece with a bronze "time's arrow" sculpture atop the marker

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/wYRPHT7RLQVoumaXAe_RmrSwQneowUlBtyplMb8HsTU%3Dw937-h1238-no

inner ring of one of the bands are roman numerals for clock markers, exterior is astrological symbols

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fm7UE-Qbwk3v7Kpzowx_DFFSRvvceY6M86VB4V0qy0M%3Dw1084-h1238-no

more angels 4 u

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/uLi1kALpsBd6eptVJTjSo5Nn_CWBJnl6FqlNDvc2URA%3Dw698-h1238-no

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bvQeoMVJLma_btmYNL_71RDMOwY0hlw_OU7BvZm-u_0%3Dw929-h1238-no

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RHW271uol6jhrndUUzl-uonZeqs5xGcwvAlJ8Ed3GT4%3Dw929-h1238-no

so we're walking along on a plateau and suddenly all these vents/skylights come into view on the ground.. in the background you can see what looks like the top of a roof with a padlocked door

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/tHpQq8S4GD-G--04xfD4oKszHVwA3e_tXp97LNAhRYc%3Dw1291-h969-no

we go down the hill towards the "house" and this is what's there

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JjNSCfFXTelzL7an2evYa1GXBvdOTP9GX04Yu4oIfY%3Dw1291-h900-no

it's a shotgun crypt for folks who couldn't afford their own above ground burial space; they could just move into a brooklyn death apartment. Doors were locked unfortunately but i got an okay shot between the bars of the horror movie beyond.. would love to get a tour of this place with someone who has the keys

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/49nrmhpAo69_KpWOKId9vgeQaE0M7rAUNVnSwPxbbBw%3Dw785-h1238-no

there are loads of beautiful and amazingly well kept flower gardens all over the premises

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/j55Kjp7osZE6UPA6bai1fFhuf4ERtTS9iuP8XS4M0pg%3Dw1291-h969-no

plus wildflowers growing alongside paths

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/MTQlBo4HsurJAXPBy9CVkTIsmN5UTQl6KaCmX211XHw%3Dw929-h1238-no

more amazing above-ground crypts

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jo8OeX1HtX-eHBGzZMOZ9dUm-EJV9uLrcD2t9A3jUu0%3Dw1291-h836-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/zD1rm7v5AuL4ftYERribmXqqgQVvvpHQfBnAy1lMN8Y%3Dw871-h1238-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KpD7TXysEbIowkO4CaNIlSjNPZJn7FwUAIprz5dYHKA%3Dw929-h1238-no

great thread forks, i don't know how i missed it til now!

hi dere long forgotten gargantuan forty foot tall monument in the middle of nowhere

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7tjPyNS2BDyR28m9cDVHsirBiO94GnfYz4gguF-GFhw%3Dw1120-h1238-no

http://www.brooklynvisualheritage.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/fullsize/externals/73bd1c5e395b0feed711e5dadb0663f7%26ext%3D.jpg

KM, you need to take a trip with us to this amazing place; it's near your home!

hi dere two five foot long metal lions guarding a long-gone grave site that now has a tree rising in the center

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4KOO_ItKv1JkGro_VxRBmbeA5gEdaYhvN7vowNTUtgE%3Dw1291-h911-no

this grave for a lost child is heartbreaking and bizarre as the sculpture of the reclining babe has worn down to nothing

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/lXPSCFYsVPa_n8SZMuFfxSDj4-UCr9sMfLgyh5NChi8%3Dw929-h1238-no
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/uKJ7sk8KZyUm7YYSyvB3_1TOkT2GMplG5QgzDVgerbk%3Dw929-h1238-no

more of the same

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/WD53u0e_uMA5_Ll3pLDBmlZXik0IesjReMQxelS2X8M%3Dw855-h1238-no

at the foot of the stone above, there's THIS... which i think is a dog grave. The sculpture's face being worn off makes it all the more intense...

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ejGMzFKKCG5O0M0m4I-ZqcverkhrqzJP7rCBo5FGOvc%3Dw1291-h969-no

great photos, forks!

did you come across any 'white bronze' (actually zinc) headstones in your travels? I tend to look out for them when I'm walking through a cemetery. you can spot them by their color and sharp lettering (or by knocking on them) and they always seem to be extremely well-preserved compared to stones of the same vintage.

yes, great thread
<3 those eroded sculptures
yes 'heartbreaking' 'bizarre' 'intense'
terrifyingly, uncannily beautiful

thanks for the kind words
there are a few zinc headstones in greenwood:
http://www.green-wood.com/2009/zinc-you-think/

i'm pretty sure that lamb "stone" upthread from 1900 is zinc.

http://morbidanatomymuseum.org/event/common-shade-dr-seth-a-gopin-on-the-rural-cemetery-in-paris-and-beyond/

so somebody has a webcomic set in the cemetery
http://c-realm.com/comic/page/2/

http://www.green-wood.com/event/moonlight-walking-tour-3/
"The skeptical can simply enjoy the frisson of nighttime skulking, accompanied by live accordion music. Please bring a flashlight to light your way."

also: http://www.green-wood.com/event/all-dogs-go-to-heaven-trolley-tour/
http://www.green-wood.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/dog-tour-600x398.jpg

Expert tour guide Ruth Edebohls leads this trolley tour to visit grave sites of dogs including Gypsy, Laddie, Little Dace, Trilby and Rex, a horse who fought in the Union Army, and others.

Nope, on my computer. The last one I can see is this one. The url is googleusercontent.com; the new ones are photos.google.com?

Okay, one more time with feeling, all the way back to February... these coming through?

http://i.imgur.com/8Cj08xo.jpg

sometimes the ground gives and the stones sink and it can be very sad

http://i.imgur.com/2nrUbVd.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/yzm4J2x.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1653ECl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/PQ1dgkJ.jpg

This is the crypt of the guy that popularized the hot dog in the united states

http://i.imgur.com/8yfmgHa.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/E4uav1q.jpg

"A Life of Difficulty / A Life But Half Rewarded / Yet Marked By Simplicity / Manliness and Fidelity"

http://i.imgur.com/9i30r6A.jpg

and some of us are long winded unto death.

http://i.imgur.com/aQWY5Zu.jpg

Oh, hey that's an interesting marker, let me look a little closer...

http://i.imgur.com/HreA0HT.jpg

YIKES!

http://i.imgur.com/wYzqaZC.jpg

"As Far As He Knew He Was A Just Man" seems a little snarky for a tombstone imo

http://i.imgur.com/c1rCw1S.jpg

On the other hand, I thought this was a pretty dope way to be remembered.

http://i.imgur.com/NrNRHTU.jpg

The weather wear on some of the bronze sculptures leads to occasionally awesome tableau.

http://i.imgur.com/fgCr2zO.jpg

For scale: in the immediate background, you'll see a car bumper poking out

http://i.imgur.com/go8BZyL.jpg

Two more Butts.

http://i.imgur.com/BeFDxCo.jpg

Can't tell if this is a regrettable typo or just the daughter she liked best?

http://i.imgur.com/Q6dBkYH.jpg

Maybe take it down a notch here pal; nobody likes a pushy tombstone.

http://i.imgur.com/qxTTI5w.jpg

Mercy Plum Nason, dead at 23 in '29: "So Fair, So Gentle and Unspotted From the World"

http://i.imgur.com/S6fYx2b.jpg

This bronze angel is about twice the size of a man and super intense.

http://i.imgur.com/sgXAJEz.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/lgOPSUD.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/hYNdEU2.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Vlj4QhQ.jpg

This is metal inlay on stone and absolutely beautiful. Maybe 12 feet long by five wide.

http://i.imgur.com/V4e4kFZ.jpg

Pretty sure this is a marker for a dog? You'll find these sorts of cryptic stones and apparently many of them are for pets.

http://i.imgur.com/SFnbTjN.jpg

this marbling is exquisite.

http://i.imgur.com/Rvs8DUR.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KqfV4Gd.jpg

Helluva story on this stone, so I'll transcribe:

"Sacred to the Memory of Dr. WILLIAM ADAMS, born & educated in Ireland. For 75 years a citizen of the State of New York came on a visit to this city August 11th 1829. Died January 20 1859, Aged 100 Years. Beside him, lies a descendent of the fourth generation, Aged 1 day. Recovered from Frederick Township, Maryland; June 19 1805"

The unassuming grave of a simple man.

http://i.imgur.com/Ys6Ykbx.jpg

Similarly low key:

http://i.imgur.com/QvGygDQ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/UJuw9Wi.jpg

I traveled up a hill and found this valley ringed with stones both old and new.

http://i.imgur.com/fMZv3qW.jpg

The most surprising stones in this plot were almost halloween prop fake looking, with death dates that predated the founding of the cemetery by nearly a century. These were clearly reclaimed from much older graveyards by Brooklyn family and reset here when Green Wood was the HOT place to be buried. Many have capsized into the soft ground by more than half.

http://i.imgur.com/WVMWWxU.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/SE5bTL0.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/aGsIF0J.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/iKqsLDR.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/xr2f3lR.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/nJEcdy6.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/JfrtNlu.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/cyBPU6t.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/0alxjIp.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ou1SJCq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/U1RbzbR.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/uk9Hf3p.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/dQUuHeI.jpg

These I can see, thanks. Great shots.

Yes, thanks!

lambs, two examples of which are above, were often placed for deaths of babies or the too-young-to-be-named. makes their little worn bodies that much more sad.

http://i.imgur.com/zMg9k2S.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/GOpFlmZ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ECaQhjd.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/4kab0t1.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/UlzZdi8.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/UPfddt7.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Ogczx87.jpg

"heroic in life, sublime in death"

http://i.imgur.com/EBrlgIQ.jpg

this gives you some sense of the constant work going on in a space this big that's completely open to the elements. They do a great job keeping it up but you will sometimes come upon a post-storm fix up and get a sense of the scale involved.

http://i.imgur.com/naG1ijF.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Am3ZBXl.jpg

"Aphrodite Finale"!!!!

http://i.imgur.com/4nH9HRM.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/rDnzxN6.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/emflscD.jpg

A pair of these life-sized setters are cast in bronze on either side of a tomb... they're awful soulful.

http://i.imgur.com/OcObty3.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/4Mi7DTO.jpg

I peered into a crypt and saw this gorgeous and masterful stained glass window... gotta be tiffany, right? astonishing and beautiful and completely invisible to the outside world.

http://i.imgur.com/Wz79oAv.jpg

"In their lives they were lovely
And in death they were not divided"

http://i.imgur.com/9bJf32o.jpg

The typos are weirdly heartbreaking; what a way to spend eternity, as a "neice"

http://i.imgur.com/VOOcHXM.jpg

There are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of stones out there that are so worn that you cannot make out the original sentiment and, even if you could, they're often in German or French. So much effort mocked effortlessly by time.

http://i.imgur.com/q4rWMaS.jpg

An odd block of graves for "ISAAC NEWTON" and his family. I presume they're all quite tired of having to say "NO, not THAT one."

http://i.imgur.com/DzDCbA7.jpg

Air pollution and time has left mottled discolorations on some of the stones where the wind cuts strongest. These splotches aren't to be washed off; they're part of the permanent edifice.

http://i.imgur.com/6ezIihG.jpg

This monument stands a good fifteen feet tall.

THE TRUTH THAT I HAVE TRIED TO MAKE CLEAR WILL NOT FIND EASY ACCEPTANCE. IF THAT IT COULD BE. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED LONG AGO. IF THAT COULD BE. IT WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN OBSCURED BUT IT WILL FIND FRIENDS. THOSE WHO WILL TOIL FOR IT, SUFFER FOR IT, IF NEED BE, DIE FOR IT. THIS IS THE POWER OF TRUTH.

It was just after halloween, but even so.

http://i.imgur.com/lIibP6v.jpg

Another meticulous metal stone. Note the array of men's organization insignias.

http://i.imgur.com/bwEFdqc.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7LSe9La.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/phMikYY.jpg

"McWhiney" = too much time on ilx

http://i.imgur.com/tIxWUVZ.jpg

Somewhere out there is a 134 year old woman named Julia Sariol who will be reunited with Arthur in good time.

I love the rural cemetery type, used to live around the corner from Allegheny Cemetery, spent a lot of time walking around. My favorite, don't have a photo, was a small, worn headstone that simply said "My Angel Lila".

Wonderful photos!