Moravian Cemetery, Staten Island
Encyclopedia
The Moravian Cemetery at 2205 Richmond Road in New Dorp on Staten Island, New York is the largest cemetery on the island. Opened in 1740, it is situated on the southeastern foot of the Todt Hill
ridge, and to its southwest is High Rock Park, one of the constituent parks of the Staten Island Greenbelt
.
.
In the 19th century Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt
gave the Moravian Church 8½ acres (34,000 m²) and later his son William Henry Vanderbilt
gave a further 4 acres (16,000 m²) and constructed the residence for the cemetery superintendent. The Vanderbilt mausoleum, designed by Richard Morris Hunt
and constructed in 1885–1886, is part of the family's private section within the cemetery. Their mausoleum is a replica of a Romanesque church in Arles
, France
. The landscaped grounds around the Vanderbilt mausoleum were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted
. The Vanderbilt section is not open to the public. As of 2009 there are over 100,000 decedents buried on the grounds.
Todt Hill
Todt Hill [elevation 410 ft ] is a hill formed of serpentine rock on Staten Island, New York. It is the highest natural point in the five boroughs of New York City and the highest elevation on the entire Atlantic Coastal Plain from Florida to Cape Cod., The summit of the ridge is largely covered...
ridge, and to its southwest is High Rock Park, one of the constituent parks of the Staten Island Greenbelt
Staten Island Greenbelt
The Staten Island Greenbelt is a system of contiguous public parkland and natural areas in the central hills of the New York City borough of Staten Island...
.
History
In what was a purely farming community, the 113 acre (457,000 m²) cemetery was originally made available as a free cemetery for the public in order to discourage families from using farm burial plots. The Moravian Cemetery is the burial place for a number of famous Staten Islanders, including members of the Vanderbilt familyVanderbilt family
The Vanderbilt family is an American family of Dutch origin prominent during the Gilded Age. It started off with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy...
.
In the 19th century Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquet Commodore, was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads. He was also the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and one of the richest Americans in history...
gave the Moravian Church 8½ acres (34,000 m²) and later his son William Henry Vanderbilt
William Henry Vanderbilt
William Henry Vanderbilt I was an American businessman and a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family.-Childhood:William Vanderbilt was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1821...
gave a further 4 acres (16,000 m²) and constructed the residence for the cemetery superintendent. The Vanderbilt mausoleum, designed by Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt was an American architect of the nineteenth century and a preeminent figure in the history of American architecture...
and constructed in 1885–1886, is part of the family's private section within the cemetery. Their mausoleum is a replica of a Romanesque church in Arles
Arles
Arles is a city and commune in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the former province of Provence....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The landscaped grounds around the Vanderbilt mausoleum were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
. The Vanderbilt section is not open to the public. As of 2009 there are over 100,000 decedents buried on the grounds.
Notable burials
- Alice AustenAlice AustenElizabeth Alice Austen was a Staten Island photographer.-Early years:Alice's father abandoned the family before she was born, and she was baptized under the name Elizabeth Alice Munn on May 23, 1866, in St. John's Church on Staten Island...
(1866–1952), photographer - Paul CastellanoPaul CastellanoConstantino Paul "Big Paul" Castellano , also known as "The Howard Hughes of the Mob" and "Big Paulie" , was an American Mafia boss in New York City. He succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family, at the time, the nation's largest Mafia family...
(1915–1985), mobster - Robert M. Davies (1830–1896) Captain of Company "C" of American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe 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...
Regiment 62nd New York State Volunteers - Eberhard FaberEberhard FaberEberhard Faber GmbH was founded in 1922 in Neumarkt, near Nuremberg, Germany, as a pencil factory. It was taken over in 1978 by Staedtler, a stationery company with global presence...
(1822–1879), founder of the Eberhard Faber Pencil Co. - Richard JeniRichard JeniRichard John Colangelo , better known by the stage name of Richard Jeni, was an American stand-up comedian and actor.-Early life:...
(1957-2007), actor, comedian - John Louis O'Sullivan (1813–1895), lawyer, journalist, statesman
- Martin ScorseseMartin ScorseseMartin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
(born 1942), filmmaker, (future burial site) - Robert Gould ShawRobert Gould ShawRobert Gould Shaw was an American officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. As colonel, he commanded the all-black 54th Regiment, which entered the war in 1863. He was killed in the Second Battle of Fort Wagner, near Charleston, South Carolina...
(1837–1863) (cenotaphCenotaphA cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
) - Cornelius VanderbiltCornelius VanderbiltCornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquet Commodore, was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads. He was also the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and one of the richest Americans in history...
(1794–1877) - Cornelius Vanderbilt IICornelius Vanderbilt IICornelius Vanderbilt II was an American socialite, heir, businessman, and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family....
(1843–1899) - Cornelius Vanderbilt IVCornelius Vanderbilt IV-Biography:He was born on April 30, 1898 in Staten Island to Cornelius Vanderbilt III and Grace Graham Wilson.He attended Harstrom's Tutoring School and St. Paul's as a young man, then served in the Ambulance Service during the First World War where he became a driver when a general asked the...
(1898–1974) - George Washington Vanderbilt IIGeorge Washington Vanderbilt IIGeorge Washington Vanderbilt II was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family, which had amassed a huge fortune through steamboats, railroads, and various business enterprises. He built and owned Biltmore, the largest home in the United States.-Biography:The eighth son and youngest...
(1862–1914) - William Henry VanderbiltWilliam Henry VanderbiltWilliam Henry Vanderbilt I was an American businessman and a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family.-Childhood:William Vanderbilt was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1821...
(1821–1885) - Reginald Claypoole VanderbiltReginald Claypoole VanderbiltReginald Claypoole Vanderbilt was a millionaire equestrian and the father of Gloria Vanderbilt. He was the founder and president of many equestrian organizations.-Biography:...
(1880–1925) - William Kissam VanderbiltWilliam Kissam VanderbiltWilliam Kissam Vanderbilt was a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt family. He managed railroads and was a horse breeder.-Biography:...
(1849–1920) - William Kissam Vanderbilt IIWilliam Kissam Vanderbilt IIWilliam Kissam Vanderbilt II was a motor racing enthusiast and yachtsman and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.-Biography:...
(1878–1944) - Stephen H. WeedStephen H. WeedStephen Hinsdale Weed was a career military officer in the United States Army. He was killed defending Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
(1831–1863), Civil War Union general (killed at the Battle of Gettysburg) - Paul ZindelPaul ZindelPaul Zindel Jr. was an American playwright, author, and educator.-Early years:Zindel was born in Tottenville, Staten Island, New York to Paul Zindel,Sr., a policeman, and Beatrice Frank, a nurse; his sister, Betty Hagen, was a year and a half older than he. Paul Zindel, Sr...
(1936-2003)