Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Autumn Trees in Green-Wood Cemetery


One of the prettiest places to visit in Brooklyn, New York is Green-Wood Cemetery, located at 5th Avenue and 25th Street. Established in 1838 as one of America's first rural cemeteries, its 478 acres of hills, valleys, and glacial ponds, with paths and roads that wind through its magnificent scenery.  It is beautiful in all the seasons.  I've blogged about it when it was dressed in the pinks and yellows of Spring and the cool blues and white snows of Winter. In autumn, Green-Wood's collection of over 7,000 trees, many of them over one hundred and fifty years old, are a spectacular sight to see! 

Valley Water, one of four glacial ponds, is rimmed with autumnal trees.

Crescent Water

All the ponds are glacial kettle ponds from the last ice age. They reflect the colors of the trees in their still water.


The trees are spectacular! Sadly a few hundred trees were lost during severe storms in the past few years, but the impact of tree loss is not that noticeable. Many families plant new trees or buy benches as memorials to their deceased family members.


The trees are beautiful canopies over many of the grave sites.


Their size is tremendous!


As you can imagine, many kinds of birds make Green-Wood their home, or migration stop, and the cemetery is a favorite place for bird watchers.


It appears that a couple in love once left their mark on this tree.


With 560,000 "permanent residents," Green-Wood Cemetery has one of the largest outdoor collections of 19th and 20th century statuary, and has almost eight hundred mausoleums.

Many, like this Henry O. Havemeyer Mausoleum, are built right into a hill side. 

"Henry Osborne Havemeyer , 1847-1907, American industrialist, b. New York City. He inherited large family interests in sugar refining and, with his brother Theodore, expanded them. At his death his American Sugar Refining Company controlled about half the sugar refining of the country. A large part of his notable art collection was bequeathed in 1929 by his widow to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. " Source



There are twenty nine steps leading up to the Imre Kiralfy Mausoleum


"Imre Kiralfy was the world's most prominent showbiz producer 100 years ago. He was known for producing huge stage spectacles in major cites around the world, including New York, London, Paris, Brussels, Chicago, Philadelphia, etc. He built the Great White City in London and hosted the 1908 Olympic games there. He produced numerous Exhibitions including the Anglo American Exhibition of 1908 in London. He was a very accomplished man. His Broadway production of the play Excelsior was the first show on Broadway to have electric lighting, which was personally designed and installed by Thomas Edison." Source 

Click on the source link to see his great, great, great grandson's visit inside the mausoleum.


I peeked through the door window to take this photo of a beautiful stained glass window inside.

The Charles Feltman Mausoleum.

According to the website Going Out In Style the Feltman story is an interesting one.  He was the inventor of the hot dog!

"Feltman, a pie maker/baker, had a push cart on New York’s Coney Island. The pies he was selling weren't doing so well and he just couldn't’seem to compete with the inns on Coney Island that were selling hot dishes. Feltman pondered long and hard and thought back to his youth. He remembered a long, slightly curved sausage, known as a dachshund sausage, that the butcher’s guild in Frankfurt, Germany, had popularized. A light bulb went off in his head and he abandoned the pie business and concentrated on selling frankfurter sandwiches. His cart was quite small and he only had room for his little frankfurter sandwich and two condiments, mustard and sauerkraut. His simple idea was an instant success and shortly thereafter he opened Feltman’s German Beer Garden, complete with carousel where he continued to sell his money making sausages."


A close up of some of the exquisite statuary on the facade of Feltman's mausoleum.


There are many more interesting and historical people buried in Green-Wood, and I'll show some more of them on a future post . Some of their stories may surprise you!


For now, I hope you enjoyed strolling with me under the autumn trees of Green-Wood.  Before we know it Winter will be here again!

I'm linking with Susan of A Southern Daydreamer for her blog's "Outdoor Wednesday" event, Jenny Matlock's blog for her "Alphabe Thursday" as this week the letter is "G,"  and Sandi of The Whistlestop Cafe Cooking for her blog's 'Friday Linky Party.'' Please visit these blogs and join in all the fun!



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58 comments:

~Cheryl said...

This is a very pretty cemetery, and the brightly colored trees make it even more so. I wonder if any of my husband's family is buried here. Now I'll have to go check!

pam said...

Oh yeah...I LOVE posts about this cemetery. Thanks Pat!

The Muse said...

i would like to simply walk with you.......

beautiful!

Light and Voices said...

I love hot dogs! Nice cyber tour of a cemetery.
Joyce M

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Pat, Don't you just love to walk in the Fall --when the leaves crackle under your feet?????

Love that cemetery --and your pictures are fabulous.. Such gorgeous Autumn colors.... Thanks so much for taking us with you..
Hugs,
Betsy

Cheryl D. said...

That is so gorgeous! I would love to be buried there!

Yoshi said...

Hi Pat,
Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment!
You have such a beautiful blog and enjoyed it because I spend 3 years living in NYC (Upper Eastside, Manhattan) and I regret that I have only been to Brooklyn couple of times. So I can learn many things about Brooklyn by visiting your blog:)
Thanks for sharing!

H said...

Really enjoyed the autumn stroll! I linked over to Imre Kiralfy's great, great, great, grandson's visit and looked at the inside of the mausoleum. What an interesting family! From the inscriptions on the stained glass, Kiralfy was definitely a freemason (probably a Master Mason), whereas the lad's great, great grandad was bishop of Bangor and is buried in St Asaph, North Wales.

I look forward to more stories! (and more beautiful photos)

Trotter said...

Hi Pat! Wow! This is absolutely stunning!!! The colours are awesome and the site looks a much better place for the alive than for a cemetery... I must pay a little more attention to the other four boroughs the next time I'll be in Manhattan... ;)

After four posts, Blogtrotter Two is leaving Algiers 2009... Enjoy and have a great week ahead!

diane b said...

I certainly did enjoy my stroll under the magnificent trees. The colours and shapes are stunning. I always enjoy the information on your blog.

Kat said...

What a gorgeous tour. If we ever make it back to New York, Greenwood Cemetery is definitely on my list of places to visit. The trees are just breathtaking. And the link to the great great great grandson's page was so interesting. Thanks for the tour! Kat

Maria M. Boyer said...

GORGEOUS!! Happy Autumn.

Carol said...

I love the rich history in the old cemeteries! Greenwood is gorgeous, that first shot, beautiful! Stunning stained glass.

The trees and the beauty of the cemetery first made me smile, I thought of Felix Unger and his burial plot, he lost his view because of Oscar. Do you remember that? LOL!

nanny said...

The trees and their colors are gorgeous....very peaceful! I love the way they drape the graves....like a painting...so perfect.

Betty said...

I miss the wonderful colors of fall. Thank you so much! Your photographs are always beautiful. I love walking through old cemeteries too. My great, great grandmother and great grandmother are buried at Linden Hill Methodist Cemetery and many other relatives are buried at Calvary. They told me back in the 80's that over a million people are buried there! I found that unbelievable. You sure have a lot of pretty old cemeteries in your neck of the woods. Here's my great aunt's grave at Calvary. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=31687653

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

How absolutely beautiful Green-Wood is in the fall. Your pictures are wonderful!
Hugs,
Penny

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

What a beautiful place! I'm happy to see so many people above ground enjoy it often too ;)

black eyed susans kitchen said...

The colors on the trees is nothing short of spectacular! I loved the hot dog story as well Pat. This cemetery is one of the most interesting places in Brooklyn...and that says a lot because Brooklyn in itself is fascinating (and of course where both of my parents and their parents hail from).
♥, Susan

Kate on Clinton said...

Oh, every time you post about Green-Wood, I tell myself I have to get there - amazing photos and stories! I'm glad to hear that the bad storms this Fall didn't do too much noticeable damage.

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing your walk with us.

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Pat, this is breathtaking! When your blog loaded this morning, I thought that the edifice which is actually composing the gates of the cemetery was a cathedral's spires! That stonework is magnificent. And I loved seeing the beautiful vaults as well as the tombstone angels and lovely, INCREDIBLE trees. You can take me cemetery touring any day of any week! Loved this!

XO,

Sheila :-)

Thoughts on Life and Millinery. said...

Gorgeous place. I could certainly "rest easy" under trees like that big yellow one.

I appreciate you adding some background to the names of the cemetery residents. Thank you!

Diann said...

Wow Pat! Those photos are stunning! I need to take photography lessons from you!!
And all the history was so interesting. Thanks for sharing!

GailO said...

When looking at photos of this beautiful old cemetery I feel sad about the looks of the cemetery my parents are in...That cemetery does not allow monument stones...only plaques in the ground...supposedly to keep the place park like...but I suspect that it is easier to maintain too. Not many people put these beautiful monuments up anymore do they?


Beautiful photos Pat!

Old Kitty said...

Oh wow!! I was most interested in the Great White City and had to google it and found a fab article in the museum of London about the Great White City - now gone and part of it forming the BBC studios! What a history! And here is the man with the wonderful name who built it!! And my goodness look at his mausoleaum!! What a pioneer!! Mr Havemeyer's resting place is just as lovely!

I am so in awe with the glacial ponds!! All from the ice age?! Now that is pretty amazing!!

Oh the trees are fabulous! The best thing about autumn has got to be the russets and reds and deep bronzes of trees - they are just so magical. And they add such atmosphere to this place of final rest as well as shelter for birds. Fantastic.

Thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures here!! Take care
x

Gardening in a Sandbox said...

Wow!! What a wonderful place to visit. So many gorgeous trees and the history is amazing.

Judy said...

I loved strolling with you under the autumn trees of Greenwood. Can we stroll again once the snow falls? It's a lovely spot!

Donnie said...

Your photos are so lovely. I especially like the sun streaming through the trees. I think I told you before that I was born in Brooklyn and left totally when I was 19 years old.

eileeninmd said...

It is a beautiful cemetery. The pond looks gorgeous and the pretty trees.

Sheila said...

Hello Pat - what a fascinating post. The trees are splendid! Its so lovely to see such mature healthy trees.I am amazed that there are so many permanent residents in that size of a cemetery. The glacial ponds are so pretty surrounded by the colours of autumn.

Michelle said...

This is such a beautiful place and you really captured the feeling with your words and pictures. Nice!

Jackie said...

Cemetaries are interesting to visit and those trees are very large and beautiful . I enjoyed sharing it with you , thanks.

Sandy said...

Quite the interesting place, looks like it would take days to take it all in!

Thanks for stopping by my blog :)

lissa said...

love those autumn trees, they are a wonderful sight even in a cemetery

Unknown said...

I love that you found trees that cover all the colors trees can turn in the fall. Beautiful!

Pondside said...

What a beautiful cemetery. Thanks for the tidbits of history too!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Thank you everyone -- I am enjoying your comments. Green-Wood is dear to my heart as my husband and I do volunteer work there with the Civil War Veteran project. Over 3,000 Civil War veterans from both the Union and the Confederacy are buried here!

Sheila, Green-Wood is quite large in size for a city cemetery. Most of the mausoleums can accommodate many people from one family. The cemetery is actually going to run out of room soon, so it's historical value is important to help preserve it as a museum of sorts.

Marlee said...

What an awesome post...loved the history lessons and the gorgeous photos! If I ever make it up that way (and I hope I do), I would love to visit this cemetery.

Jojo said...

Thank you Pat. My work continues to be crazy, consequently I missed outdoor time in October and it's more of the same in November. It was wonderful to be able to stroll/scroll through Green-Wood and to be able to enjoy nature showing all of its color. This may be all that I get to see of fall, and if this is the case, guess it's not too bad!!

Sue McPeak said...

Wonderful history lesson of a beautiful place. Thanks for sharing all the spectacular views and monuments of Green-Wood. Super post for the Letter G.

Jacqueline said...

What a wonderful cemetary. This is like visiting Europe and it is right at home. I love the sculptures and the grandeur. Now they don't even want to have to mow around your headstone, they want it flat with the grass.

The leaves were gorgeous and I bet the smell was fantastic as you wandered under the canopies.

Lovella ♥ said...

That is no doubt a beautiful cemetery. Those trees are absolutley massive. I always find it so hard to photograph large trees to show their size but the grave stones underneath put them in perspective perfectly.
It would seem like a very peaceful walk about.

giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•. said...

Oh Pat :))
che foto meravigliose autunnali.
Amo anch'io fotografare i cimiteri, sono bellissimi quelli antichi.
Grazie della visita.
Il tuo blog mi piace molto.
Myriam :))

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

The architecture of that first building literally took my breath away, but then the color of the leaves outshone it!

Anonymous said...

What a gorgeous place, Pat. I loved the facts you shared and the wonderful stories. How awesome it would be if all of those "permanent residents" could share a special story or two about their lives? I have never heard the term "kettle pond". You always have the neatest info!

Hope you're having a great week!

L, Dana

Rocky Mountain Woman said...

What a wonderful, lovely resting place!

Thanks for sharing those gorgeous pics...

Ebie said...

Oh Pat, you have outdone yourself again. All four seasons, this place does not even look like a cemetery.

The photos on the lake were taken locally about 5 miles from home. We do not have the kind of colors you have but the sun's rays hitting down the pine trees made it glowing in gold.

Viki said...

Cemeteries although sad places can be some of the most beautiful places as well. Thanks for sharing.

Susan Anderson said...

Oh, wow. I would love to be there right now!

Or any season, for that matter.

Thanks. The photos are awesome.

=)

Jo said...

what a beautiful final resting place ... and place to visit as well ... thanks for all of the interesting tidbits and history!

Claudia said...

Oh Pat - I love these tours. I love the "hot dog"story but of course was immediately mesmerized by the theatre producer who had the first electrical lights on Broadway - installed by Thomas A. Edison no less.

I am always sorry when I come here that I spent so little time in Brooklyn - did the Gardens, the Heights and Carroll gardens and that was it.

Jenny said...

Oh thank you, thank you for this GGGGrand and GGGGlorious trip through Green-Wood cemetary today.

This made me incredibly homesick for Ohio. The pictures were radiant.

And, as always, I felt like I was walking right beside you seeing and hearing about your beloved City.

Thanks for linking to Alphabe-Thursday!

This was a GGGGem of a GGGGreat G post!

A+

Judie said...

This is a wonderful post! I love the photos, and the history lesson is excellent. I have always found cemeteries to be so lovely and peaceful. You did an excellent job. Thanks for this.

Carol said...

A spectacular oasis of peace and beauty.

Splendid Little Stars said...

What a stunning place! Thank you for the marvelous tour!

annie said...

Beautiful place.
The trees are gorgeous and the memorials are so exquisite. What a wonderful way to spend time.
Thanks for sharing the photos.

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Beautiful photos.
I love to wander through old cemeteries... but they are not all as beautiful as that one.

PERMANENT POSIES said...

Stunningly beautiful photos! I loved your G post....even though I am a little late getting around.