There are many ways to visit Green-Wood’s 478 acres…

SHARON MATT-ATKINS
Director of Curatorial Affairs, Brooklyn Museum

cultural legacy

The Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as one of America’s first rural cemeteries. Still an active cemetery, the Green-Wood of today is also a cultural institution, an outdoor museum that tells the history and evokes the cultures of the borough, the city and the nation. Today, Green-Wood’s 478 acres serve as the final resting place for over 570,000 permanent residents.

THE FREEDOM LOTS

Unearthing lost history through research and restoration

“IT IS THE AMBITION OF THE NEW YORKER TO LIVE UPON FIFTH AVENUE, TO TAKE HIS AIRINGS IN THE [CENTRAL] PARK, AND TO SLEEP WITH HIS FATHERS IN GREEN-WOOD.”

– The New York Times, 1866

collections

Art, artifacts, and ephemera that illuminate the history of
Green-Wood and its residents.

archives

Reflective of Green-Wood’s long and venerable history are voluminous archival records documenting its residents and operations.

“GREEN-WOOD STANDS APART AS A THRIVING TESTAMENT TO THE CENTERPIECE OF ALL HISTORY: THE PEOPLE WHO MADE IT.”

– Ken Burns, Documentary Filmmaker

“It is the ambition of the New Yorker to live upon Fifth Avenue, to take his airings in the [Central] Park, and to sleep with his fathers in Green-Wood.”

– The New York Times, 1866

collections

Art, artifacts, and ephemera that illuminate the history of
Green-Wood and its residents.

archives

Reflective of Green-Wood’s long and venerable history are voluminous archival records documenting its residents and operations.

“Green-Wood Stands apart as a Thriving testament to the centerpiece of all history: the people who made it”

– Ken Burns, Documentary Filmmaker

FROM THE vault

Attend an Event
KEYS OF GREEN-WOOD
Ride the Trolley
LETTERHEADS FROM THE ARCHIVES
Leave a Secret
GREEN-WOOD THEN AND NOW

GREENEALOGY

Unlock your family history with Green-Wood’s genealogical services

countless stories

NOTABLE residents

Civil war biographies

Historian’s Blog

world war i biographies

latest updates (Full Archive)

Contact us

Archives

For general information on Green-Wood’s Institutional archives and for internship and volunteer opportunities, please email us at Archives@green-wood.com.

Collections

For general information on Green-Wood’s Collection of art and artifacts, to schedule a research visit, or to inquire about rights and reproduction, please email us at Collections@green-wood.com.

Photo Credits (from top, left to right, approximate, excluding thumbnails): Header from GWHF, Freedom Lots by Art Presson, Archives from GWC, Collections by Stacy Locke, Greenealogy by Art Presson