With climate change at the forefront of the national conversation and April 2020 marking the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, it's high time to take a dive into Brooklyn's environmental history. This City Story explores the impact of industrialization along Brooklyn's waterways, sites of notorious pollution, sustainability challenges, the effects of increased temperatures on our coastlines, and the changing ecology of our urban landscape.

Monument of McDonald Clarke (1798-1842), "The Mad Poet of Broadway," ca. 1870. Often referred to simply as "The Poet's Mound," the monument to McDonald Clarke is one of the oldest at Green-Wood, dating to 1842. Created by sculptor Robert E. Launitz, it bears a relief portrait of Clarke, is inscribed with one of the poet's verses, and bears the epitaph, "Poor McDonald Clarke - Let silence gaze, but curse not his grave." (Lot 7011, Sec. 34)

Monuments to Sarah Van Brunt Cashman, William Augustus Conklin, and Martha and Mary Titus, ca. 1890. (Lots 799 and 800, Sec. 64)

Viaduct along 5th avenue near Green-Wood’s Western Entrance of at 34th Street and 4th Avenue, ca. 1860. The viaduct was designed by Richard Upjohn.

View from Highland Avenue, looking toward New York Harbor, ca. 1870.

Monument to Fannie L. Quintard, outside the mausoleum of Charles Morgan, ca. 1870. (Lot 3922, Sec. 81)

View of Sylvan Water, the largest glacial pond in The Green-Wood Cemetery, ca. 1860.

Dewey Mausoleum, ca. 1890. The large mausoleum of the Dewey family stands immediately behind the monument to Charlotte Canda (1792-1866), who died suddenly on the night of her seventeenth birthday. The small monument encircled by a cast iron fence in the right foreground of this photograph memorializes Charles Albert Jarett de la Marie, the French nobleman who was Charlotte Canda's fiancé. Overcome with grief, Charles committed suicide a year after Charlotte's tragic death, shooting himself while at the Candas' residence. Because of his suicide, he could not be buried in the Canda's lot because the land had been consecrated by the Catholic Church; instead he is buried in an adjoining lot. (Lots 8612 and 2375, Sec. 106)

Monument of the Cary sisters, ca. 1875. Poets Alice Cary (1820-1871) and Phoebe Cary (1824-1871) were important nineteenth century literary figures, leading the cultural circle known as the “Cary Salon” in their Manhattan home. When Alice succumbed to illness is 1871, her funeral, according to Horace Greeley was attended by more distinguished men and woman, and a larger audience, than any other funeral of which he knew. Phoebe was in good health until her sister’s death; her sorrow thereafter was so intense that, within five months, she passed away, joining her sister at Green-Wood. (Lot 13769, Sec. K)

Monument of the Wardwell and Draper family, ca. 1870. (Lot 16063, Sec. 33/46)

View of Battle Avenue, ca. 1860, from the main entrance of Green-Wood. This photo may have been taken when the main entrance arches of Green-Wood were still under construction. At this time, the area to the left of Battle Avenue contained worker housing, stables, and storage sheds, which can be seen at the far left in this photograph.

The Arctic Monument, in the Brown Family lot, circa 1875. The Arctic Monument, standing at the center of the Brown family lot, was commissioned by James Brown (1791-1877), head of the powerful Brown Brothers banking firm, to honor those lost in the sinking of the steamship Arctic. When the Arctic went down in 1854, James Brown lost a number of family members: his son William Benedict Brown, William’s wife Clara Moulton Brown, their infant daughter Grace, his daughter Maria, his daughter Grace, and her son Herbert. Their names are carved into the front of the monument. Sculpted by artist John Moffitt, the marble monument features at its center a likeness of the sinking Arctic. Though the ship’s mast and sails have been lost over time, the monument’s stone canopy has protected much of the ship’s detailing from the elements. Look up above the ship at the detailed carving by Moffitt. (Lot 2134, Sec. 22)

Monument of James Gordon Bennett (1795-1872), founder of the New York Herald, ca. 1880. The monument was sculpted for the Bennett family in Italy and transported to its current location, overlooking New York Harbor. According to a description in a nineteenth century New York guide, the monument is “a life-sized female figure, kneeling on a cushion in an attitude of prayer, commending her child, which is held in suspense by an angelic figure, to the Almighty Giver.” It has lost much of its detailing due to acid rain. (Lot 14234, Sec. 37/42)

View west from the lots of the Bayard and Cutting families, overlooking Pastoral Dell, ca. 1860. (Lot 6615, Sec. 23)

Monument of the Tietjen family, ca. 1875. (Lot 9620, Sec. 15)

Mausoleum of Marc Chambettaz, 1904. Of the three angels that adorn the roof of the Chambettaz Mausoleum, only one remains to this day, though the bases upon which the others stood are still visible. (Lot 20844, Sec. 89)

View of Maple Ridge in Green-Wood, ca. 1860.

Monument of the Frost family, ca. 1870-1875. (Lot 8872, Sec.21)

Monument to Do-hum-me, "The Indian Princess," ca. 1875. In 1843, at the age of eighteen, Do-Hum-Me, came east with her father, a chief of the Sac tribe, who was representing his people at treaty negotiations with the United States government. Do-Hum-Me soon met Cow-Hick-Kee and they married. She became the toast of the town in New York City, performing at P.T. Barnum’s museum. It wasn't long, however, before she fell gravely ill and died - just five weeks after her wedding. Still in its early years, Green-Wood offered a lot for burial of the young woman, hoping to add an attraction to the struggling cemetery. Do-Hum-Me was buried on March 15, 1843, near Sylvan Water, wearing her wedding dress. Her monument was carved by sculptor Robert Launitz and paid for by Barnum. As skilled of an artist as he was, Launitz struggled with English spelling, inscribing the misspelling of "Cheif" to be seen by generations to follow. The epitaph to Do-Hum-Me reads, "Thou art Happy now for thou hast past; the cold dark journey of the grave; And in the land of light at last; has joined the good, the fair, the brave." (Lot 236, Sec. 41)

View near Fountain Hill, circa 1875.

Monument to John Matthews (1808-1870), ca. 1875.

Monument to Ann Rooker, ca. 1900. (Lot 7371, Sec. 55)

Monument to Charlotte Canda (1828-1845), ca. 1865-1890. Once the finest monument in Green-Wood, and the most-visited cemetery monument in America, the monument to Charlotte Canda (1828-1845) memorializes a young girl who died a tragic death in a carriage accident on the night of her seventeenth birthday. The basic design of Charlotte’s monument was sketched by her as a memorial to her recently deceased aunt. After Charlotte’s death, her father adapted to sketch to memorialize his daughter, including elements such as the books, musical and drawing instruments that she was so fond of, and the parrots that were her constant companions. Charlotte’s effigy appears in the niche, with a star above it, symbolizing immortal life. A butterfly with wings extended is emblematic of her liberated spirit. To commemorate Charlotte’s age at death, 17 rose buds, symbolic of a female life cut short, make up the wreath around her head; the monument is 17 feet high and 17 feet deep. The monument, with the exception of the angels (which were carved in Italy), was executed by John Frazee (1790-1852) and Robert Launitz (1806-1870). Long lost from exposure to the elements, Canda’s epitaph once read: “So sinks from sight Eve’s golden star / Lost in the watery depths afar/ Yet still does the fair planet burn / Not hopeless is our Charlotte’s urn / In God’s own morn her orb will rise / Once more – a star of Paradise.” (Lot 1380, Sec. 92/106)

Receiving Tomb, from across Arbor Water, ca. 1880.

Green-Wood Cemetery Gates ca. 1865 One of the most splendid monuments of Brooklyn, this unique entrance to the cemetery combines offices, gates, a clock tower, and a spire in one imposing structure. It was designed by Richard Michell Upjohn, the son of the leading architect of the Gothic tradition in New York. The younger Upjohn also designed the Connecticut State Capitol at Hartford.

Monuments to William Henry Wallis and family, ca. 1875. (Lot 1209, Sec. 108/109)

Monument of James Gordon Bennett, Sr., founder of the New York Herald, ca. 1875.

Monument to Charlotte Canda, ca. 1874.

View of Fountain Hill in Green-Wood, ca. 1865. Fountain Hill was so named for the large fountain that stood at its crest. The fountain has since been removed.

At the center of the photograph is Betania Baptist Kirke (Church), a Scandinavian church which was not an uncommon sight in Sunset Park in the early and middle of the 20th century. Danes, Swedes, and Norwegians made up a large population of the neighborhood, with a section of 8th Avenue from Sunset Park to Bay Bridge called Lapskaus Boulevard, after the Nordic beef stew. The building, though somewhat drastically altered, does retain some of its original features, most notably the slanted peak of the roof seen behind the new second floor facade. The building is still used for religious purposes as Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal Alpha y Omega.

Monument to Seth Grosvenor (d. 1861), ca. 1860. (Lot 10796, Sec. 12/13)

Mausoleums of Charles Howard Clayton and others, along Fountain Hill, ca. 1865. (Lot 7011, Sec. 34)

A series of Mausoleums along Lake Avenue, opposite Sylvan Water, ca. 1870. Mausoleums pictured include those of Mary Tileston and the Spofford family. (Lots 14451, 14452, Sec. 37)

Detail of the Arctic Monument, circa 1875.

View of Chestnut Hill in The Green-Wood Cemetery, looking across Hydrangea Path, ca. 1880.

View near Fountain Hill, undated photo.

Lot of the Spencer family, ca. 1875. (Lot 15471, Sec. K)

Monument to sea captain and shipbuilder Menemon Sanford (d. 1852), ca. 1875. A competitor of Cornelius Vanderbilt in the shipping business, his monument reflects his maritime connection, with a ship at sea tossed by waves, ropes, mast, capstan, sextant, telescope, and calipers, all of marble. (Lot 1146, Sec. 43)

View of Spruce Hill in The Green-Wood Cemetery, ca. 1865.

Monument to John Matthews (1808-1870), ca. 1870.

Horse-drawn hearse in front of the Receiving Tomb, as seen across Arbor Tomb, ca. 1865.

View from Bay Grove Hill, looking toward Green-Wood's main entrance, ca. 1875. Several of the monuments along Arbor Avenue, running through the center of this photograph, are still standing today, including the urn-topped monument of Clarkson Crolius (1773-1843) visible on the left. The mausoleum in the foreground is gone; a garden is now there.

Mausoleum of the Steinway family, the famous piano manufacturers, ca. 1875. Piano maker Henry Engelhard Steinway (1797-1871) migrated to New York City from Germany in 1851. By 1860, his company, Steinway & Sons, had already become the leading piano manufacturer in the country. The business stayed in the family for many years and continued to find great success. The Steinway Mausoleum at Green-Wood, built in the 1870s at a cost of $80,000 (equivalent to over $1.5 million today) is the cemetery's largest, with room for between 150 and 200 interments. It was designed by sculptor and funerary architect John Moffitt. (Lot 15388, Sec. 46/47)

A series of mausoleums along Sylvan Avenue, ca. 1875. Mausoleums pictured include those of Mary L. Adriance, Thomas Terry, and George H. and C. Moller. (Lots 19362, 19687, 14697, Sec. 41)

Monument to Horace Greeley (1811-1872), founder and editor of the New York Tribune, ca. 1875. Greeley's monument was erected by America's printers. Topped with a bronze bust of him by Charles Calverley, the pedestal has a bronze bas-relief on one side which shows Greeley as a youth, with composing stick in hand, standing over his type case. Another panel depicts a plow, an apparent allusion to Greeley's famous recommendation to the unemployed during the panic of 1837, "Go West, young man, and grow with the country." Greeley wrote his own epitaph, "Fame is a vapor; popularity an accident; riches take wings; the only earthly certainty is oblivion; no man can foresee what a day will bring forth; while those who cheer today will often curse tomorrow; and yet I cherish the hope that the journal I projected and established will live and flourish long after I have mouldered into forgotten dust.. and that the stone which covers my ashes may bear to future eyes the still intelligible inscription, Founder of The New York Tribune." (Lot 2344, Sec. 35).

"Precious Georgie," monument of George Sidney Cuyler, ca. 1880. The son of Theodore Ledyard Cuyler and Annie E. Cuyler, George Sidney Cuyler died at the age of four from scarlet fever, leaving behind a twin brother, Theodore, and two heartbroken parents. Theodore Ledyard Cuyler (1822-1909) was the longtime pastor of Brooklyn's Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church and nationally known for his work in both the temperance and abolitionist movements. Cuyler employed noted sculptor Charles Calverley to create a likeness of young Georgie to adorn his monument. The marble relief cameo, protected from the elements behind glass, remains in fine condition. (Lot 4228, Sec. 23/34)

Far view of the monument to the Pierrepont family, designed by Richard Upjohn in the Gothic Revival Style, ca. 1860. (Lot 534, Sec. 68)

Monument to Dixon Hall Lewis (1802-1848), circa 1870.

Monuments to William Henry Wallis and family, ca. 1875.

Main Entrance Gates of The Green-Wood Cemetery from Bay Side Avenue, ca. 1870.

View of Valley Water in The Green-Wood Cemetery, ca. 1880.

Monument to Dixon Hall Lewis (1802-1848), circa 1865. Born in Virginia and educated in Georgia, Dixon Hall Lewis served as a states’ rights United States Senator and Representative from Alabama from 1829 until his death. Lewis was a strong advocate for nullification and secession. The stone obelisk monument to Dixon Hall Lewis at Green-Wood describes him as "A Patriot and a Statesman noted for integrity, candor and truth." Why would a states’ rights politician from the South be interred in Brooklyn? Lewis visited Green-Wood and was so impressed that he decided this was the place for him to be interred. (Lot 9931, Sec. 89)

View of Valley Water in The Green-Wood Cemetery, ca. 1870.

The chapel was constructed in 1911 after designs by Warren and Wetmore, architects of Grand Central Terminal, and is a reduced replica of Christopher Wren’s Thomas Tower at Christ Church College in Oxford, England.

Monument to Clara Bartlet Gregory (1807-1845), wife of famed painter George Catlin (1796-1872), ca. 1865.

Monument to John Matthews (1808-1870), known as the "Soda Fountain King," ca. 1875. Dating to the early 1870's, the Matthews monument was created by prolific sculptor Karl Muller. Executed in terra-cotta and marble for the great sum of $30,000, it was named the "Mortuary Monument of the Year" in the year is was unveiled. The Mathews monument is adorned with the likenesses of members of the Matthews family, including John Matthews laying atop a sarcophagus at the center, and the faces of his daughters atop the four columns. The statue seated at the second level, which has greatly deteriorated over the years, typifies grief. Various flora and fauna can be found throughout the monument, as well as four gargoyles on the corners which spit water when it rains. The spectacular monument was once even more elaborate, featuring a central spire that loosened and has since been removed. (Lot 1345, Sec. 66)

This stereoview shows the monument of the Callicot family in The Green-Wood Cemetery, ca. 1865. (Lot 5636, Sec. 20).

DeWitt Clinton Monument, ca. 1870.

Monument of the Gassner family, ca. 1860. (Lot 5518, Sec. 45)

The Receiving Tomb, designed by Richard Upjohn, ca. 1875.

Green-Wood, with more than 600 mausoleums and other buildings, offers a spectacular display of nineteenth-century architectural styles. On the streets of New York, tearing down buildings every generation and replacing them with "the latest" has become something of a habit. But at Green-Wood, once a building goes up, it almost always stays up. Want to see what NYC's buildings looked like more than a century ago? You've come to the right place! This tour, a walk of about a half-mile, offers you a stroll through a quiet landscape as well as fascinating information about each of the five intriguing stops along the way. In order to walk it, you will proceed up the incline of Battle Hill to near the highest point in Brooklyn. Your legs will thank you! And if you would like to explore more of Green-Wood, get our app at the App Store. Trees, monuments, great stories, and more!

View of Dale Water, ca. 1875. Dale Water is one of at least eight glacial ponds that existed on the land that would become Green-Wood. Dale Water has since been filled in, but four other bodies of water remain, including nearby Crescent and Dell Waters.

Mausoleum of shipping magnate Charles Morgan (1795-1878), ca. 1875. (Lot 2590, Sec. 81)

Delaplaine family mausoleum, ca. 1860.

View along Dale Avenue, ca. 1875.

Original structure that stood at the Western Entrance to Green-Wood, near 34th Street and 4th Avenue, ca. 1875.

Monument to John Kerr, ca. 1875. (Lot 16648, Sec. 56)

View of Bay Side Dell from atop Bay Grove Hill, ca. 1875. Bay Side Dell, also known as Clinton Dell, is home to the monumental statue memorializing DeWitt Clinton (1769-1828). In this image, circa 1875, elaborate landscaping featuring planters and a variety of trees can be seen on the central grassy expanse of the dell. This lot would later become the final resting place of Nathaniel Currier (1813-1888) of Currier & Ives fame. (Clinton Dell, Sec. 108)

Monument of Governor DeWitt Clinton (1769-1828) of New York, ca. 1860-1870. DeWitt Clinton, a United States Senator, governor, and mayor, and the visionary behind the Erie Canal, was at one time the most revered New Yorker. Having died in 1828, Clinton was originally interred in Little Albany Cemetery. Green-Wood, however, in an attempt to attract publicity to the newly-established cemetery, made arrangements to have Clinton reinterred, with an heroic bronze monument marking his grave. The statue of Clinton is by sculptor Henry Kirke Brown, and the bas reliefs that adorn the monument base were designed by Richard Upjohn. It was unveiled, with much fanfare, in 1853. (Clinton Dell, Sec. 108)

The Receiving Tomb, designed by Richard Upjohn, ca. 1875. Receiving tombs were a staple in nineteenth century cemeteries, serving as a holding space for caskets until they were ready for interment. They were especially important during the cold winter months, when the frozen ground made digging impossible.

View of mausoleums along Cliff Path, ca. 1860.

Arbor Water, as seen from Sycamore Avenue, ca. 1875. Arbor Water, a glacial pond formerly located near the main entrance of the cemetery, was removed in 1911 to make way for Green-Wood's Historic Chapel. The pond is seen here from the rise of Bay Grove Hill, behind the angel sculptures that once adorned the Chambettaz Mausoleum. The spires of the Receiving Tomb are visible to the left.

View along Lake Avenue, bordering Sylvan Water, ca. 1875.

Detailed view of monument to Charlotte Canda, ca. 1875.

View of Sylvan Water, looking down Ravine Path from Oaken Bluff, ca. 1890.

Vandervoort monument, ca. 1860. (Lot 3832, Sec. 81)

Monument to John Ruthven, ca. 1860. (Lot 2169, Sec. 13/22)

Lot of the Spencer family, ca. 1870.

View along the shore of Sylvan Avenue, looking toward Sylvan Cliff, circa 1870.

Monuments to Cornelia Polhemus and Jane D. Creed, ca. 1880. (Lots 182 and 1543, Sec. 61)

Monument to Charlotte Canda, ca. 1890.

Green-Wood Cemetery Gates, 25th Street, 1899. The Gothic Revival entrance gates and clocktower were designed by the firm ecclesiastical architect Richard Upjohn and son Richard M. Upjohn — both Brooklyn residents, later interred at Green-Wood — and completed in 1865. As described the Landmarks Preservation Commission's 1966 Designation Report, the Upjohn-designed entrance "represents an ingenious linking together and piling up of architectural elements to create an impressive main gateway to the cemetery." Green-Wood's gates are also home to an unexpected population of cemetery guests: a colony of monk parakeets, allegedly escapees from an illicit shipment to Idlewild Airport (JFK).

Monument of William and Betsey Dunley, ca. 1860. (Lot 3320, Sec. 109)

Rear entrance of the Receiving Tomb, ca. 1860.

While most of this series has focused on some of New York's interior spaces as we've been stuck in our apartments, we thought for this one we'd try something different. So we've turned our gaze to some of the best places for New Yorkers to escape to: the parks of New York! Specifically, how three of New York's most iconic parks connect.

Mausoleum of the Delaplaine family, including U.S. Congressman Isaac C. Delaplaine (1817-1866), ca. 1865. (Lot 8919, Sec. 12)

Monument to John Matthews (1808-1870), ca. 1870.

Frost family plot, prior to the construction of monument, ca. 1870

Monument to John Matthews (1808-1870), ca. 1870.

Arbor Water, a glacial pond formerly located near the entrance of The Green-Wood Cemetery, ca. 1870. Arbor water was one of several glacial ponds on the land that would become Green-Wood. It was filled in in 1911 to make space for Green-Wood's Historic Chapel, designed by architects Warren & Wetmore and completed in 1912. As seen in this photo, rowboats were once available for cemetery visitors to take out on the water.

Arbor Water, with a view of the Receiving Tomb along Willow Avenue, ca. 1865.

Founded in 1838 and now a National Historic Landmark, Green-Wood was one of the first rural cemeteries in America. By the early 1860s, it had earned an international reputation for its magnificent beauty and became the prestigious place to be buried, attracting 500,000 visitors a year, second only to Niagara Falls as the nation’s greatest tourist attraction. Crowds flocked there to enjoy family outings, carriage rides, and sculpture viewing in the finest of first generation American landscapes. Green-Wood’s popularity helped inspire the creation of public parks, including New York City’s Central and Prospect Parks. This tour takes you through some of the monuments of Green-Wood and its famous denizens.

One sure-fire way to lose a presidential election? Become the mayor of New York City first. Running the country’s most populous city seems like an excellent résumé booster, but every NYC mayor who’s tried has failed to secure the nation’s highest office. By Serena Troshynski, Reference Librarian, NYPL Milstein Division of U.S. History, Local History, and Genealogy.

DeWitt Clinton Monument, ca. 1860.

Monument to Charlotte Canda, ca. 1865.

View in Green-Wood, near the intersection of Sylvan and Lake Avenues, ca. 1860.

View along Landscape Avenue, near Valley Water, ca. 1865.

Monument to Doctor Charles Isaacs (1811-1860), ca. 1865. (Lot 13421, Sec. 61.)

Monument of Jane Debevoise, ca. 1860. (Lot 6422, Sec. 57)

View along Sycamore Avenue in The Green-Wood Cemetery, ca. 1880.

View of Sylvan Water, from the intersection of Lake and Sylvan Avenues, circa 1875.

Kelsey monument, ca. 1875.