The Firemen's Monument, ca. 1875. Erected by a committee of volunteer firemen of New York City, the Firemen's Monument memorializes two firemen, Engineer George Kerr (1816-1848) and Assistant Foremen Henry Fargis (-1848), who died fighting a fire on April 2, 1848. The monument, rich in fire-related symbolism, was sculpted by Robert E. Launitz. Standing almost 24 feet high, the monument is topped with a statue of a fireman, wearing a hero’s laurel wreath, saving a child. It is adorned with the coat of arms of New York City, hydrants, hoses, speaking trumpets, hats, down-turned firemen's parade torches, hooks, and ladders. (Lots 2413-2420, Sec. 2)

Firemen's Monument, ca. 1870.

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.