Senator Lispenard Stewart and Family

This Norman Revival hillside tomb, which contains the remains of the Lispenard Stewart family, was designed by James Fenwick in 1889. The Stewart family was socially prominent and when Mrs. Mary Stewart (nee Mary Rogers Rhinelander) died in 1893, a NY Times article noted that she was “one of the wealthiest women in New York. ”Her funeral was attended by the Astor, Vanderbilt and Pell families. Their son, Senator Lispenard Stewart, was included in an 1890 article about the most eligible bachelors in NY. In 1895, he was the escort of Gertrude Vanderbilt at her coming out party (which had an entirely different meaning in those days :)) and characterized as the “best dancer in Newport, Rhode Island.”

Green-Wood's Beautiful Arbor of Trees

This arbor of trees --located near the Civil War Soldiers' Monument-- --where the delicate and ephemeral cherry blossoms make a brief appearance, is one of my favorite spring sites.

This tableau, blanketed by freshly fallen snow, is in honor of Good Friday and the promise of spring.

Stanford White's Design for Steel Magnate, David Stewart

The bronze-reliefs on the tomb of steel magnate David Stewart were created by famed architect Stanford White and preeminent sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Together, the pair also created a number of other noted works: The Farragut Monument in Madison Square Garden (their first collaboration); the Peter Cooper Monument for Cooper Union; The Puritan in Springfield, Mass.and Chicago’s General John Logan Monument.

The Real Amityville Horror

This monument is to the DeFeo family, who were all murdered in their Amityville, LI home in November of 1974. Ronald DeFeo Sr., his wife Lillian, and four of their chidren were shot to death by their eldest son, Ronald Jr., who blamed the murder on a mafia hitman. He was found guilty at trial and is serving a life sentence. This sensational case spawned a number of books, including the Amityville Horror, a book based on the Lutz family's account of the brief (less than a month) period they lived in the house, a year later. George and Kathy Lutz claimed they had been terrorized by paranormal phenomena while residing in the house. To this day, the house at 112 Ocean Ave. remains an object of curiosity.

The Guggenheims: One of America’s Best Known Families

 The name Guggenheim is synonymous in America with philanthropy and achievement. In the 19^th century, family patriarch, Meyer, amassed a fortune from mining and smelting. His business acumen and philanthropic ways were inherited by his large brood who made names for themselves during their lifetimes. Their good  works and family name live on. Many members of the Guggenheim family are entombed in Salem Fields Cemetery, an historic Jewish cemetery which straddles the Brooklyn/Queens border. Their octagonal-shaped mausoleum was built in 1899 at a cost exceeding $100,000 and is the largest mausoleum in the cemetery. It was created by American architect Henry Beaumont Herts who is also responsible for a number of other monuments on the grounds. The white marble structure was modeled after the Tower of the Winds in Athens in the Italian neoclassical style. Barbara Myers Guggenheim, the wife of family patriarch Meyer, was the first to be entombed there after her sudden death in 1890. Meyer’s grand-nephew, Harry Guggenheim (my favorite), co-founder of the Long Island’s newspaper Newsday was also entombed within the structure after his death in 1970.

Edwin W. Marsh - Atlanta's Dry Goods King

This Gothic Revival mausoleum was built for Edwin W. Marsh in 1890. At the time, Marsh was the most successful retail dry goods merchant in Atlanta. Constructed of sandstone, the building sports a spire, buttresses, cusped arches and polished granite shafts. The prominent bronze urn was made by Gorham Manufacturing, the first US foundry. One of 55 mausoleums in Oakland Cemetery, the Marsh mausoleum is currently undergoing restoration.