Friday, 10 May 2013 08:22 Written by Cristiana Pena

From The New York Times ...

As shadows gathered in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx on a recent evening, visitors began making their way deep into the park, past the Gilded Age mausoleums and onward to a circular grass plot with a stone obelisk in the center.

Darkness and silence reigned. Gradually the stars came out, projecting faint beams of reflected light into the tubes of more than a dozen telescopes set up around the perimeter of the lawn. It was showtime.

Click here to read William Grimes full article on Spring Starfest, a collaboration between Woodlawn Conservancy and the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York!

A Newtonian telescope at the Rolnick Observatory in Connecticut,
from The New York Times article.

Tuesday, 07 May 2013 14:54 Written by Cristiana Pena

Exciting news for philatelists -- that is, stamp collectors: the United States Postal Service will be joining us on Thursday, May 23rd, at 10AM for our Admiral Farragut gravesite designation ceremony.  Why? Because the USPS will be issuing the Civil War 1863 - Siege of Vicksburg Forever Stamp.  Why at Woodlawn? Because Admiral Farragut was integral in securing victory for the Union Cause at Vicksburg. 

To make the occasion even more special, USPS will be using a “Special Pictorial" cancellation created specially for the Farragut Designation Ceremony (see preview below).  Bring your envelopes (or use one of ours, we'll have some on hand!) and add this Farragut-associated edition to your collection!  Questions?  Call our Director of Programs at 718-920-1463, ext. 225, or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Tuesday, 07 May 2013 11:42 Written by Cristiana Pena

Woodlawn is the final resting place of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, the nation's first admiral.  When the remains of Admiral Farragut were brought to The Woodlawn Cemetery, over 10,000 people marched in his funeral procession. So why can't we find any memorabilia from the funeral? Interestingly, not a single photo has been found of this incredible ceremony.

WE NEED YOUR HELP! In preparation for our Thursday, May 23rd event to celebrate the designation of Farragut's gravesite as a National Historic Landmark, we're looking for descendants of those who marched in the procession.  Share a photo! Let us know if you have a memorial ribbon or some other souvenir from one of New York's most memorable days.

Among those represented
at the Admiral's funeral:

Members of the County
and City Government:
Present and past Mayors
of New York, Board of Commissioners,
Sheriffs and Deputies,
Judges and Clerks,
Fire and Police Department,
Tax Commissioners,
Board of Education,
and Inspectors and Trustees of Schools.

New York State Government:
Governors of New York,
Dept. of State, and Members
of the Senate and Assembly.

United States Government:
The President of the United States
and Members of the Cabinet.


Soldiers and Sailors:
Grand Army of the Republic, New York State National Guard,
and Officers and Sailors who served under Admiral Farragut.

Also, the Society of the Cincinnati, the Chamber of Commerce,
Harbor Masters, and Foreign Ministers and Consuls.

UPDATE: Since first issuing our call for memorabilia, Virginia M. shared along the above photo, picturing the Farragut monument in 1900.  Thanks, Virginia!

To learn more about the Admiral Farragut gravesite designation, click here. With questions, please call (718) 920-1463, ext. 333.

To RSVP for our Thursday, May 23rd, event, click here.

Wednesday, 01 May 2013 10:22 Written by Cristiana Pena

Bronx Week is on the horizon! There is perhaps no better way to explore the "best of the Bronx" than with this curated week of programs and events.  As Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., wrote, in his kick-off letter:

"[There will be] great events for Bronx Week this year that the whole community can take part in and enjoy, including a film festival and historical tours of the borough’s neighborhoods."

And when he says neighborhoods, that includes Woodlawn and the cemetery!  Join us on Saturday, May 11th, to visit memorials to those who built the Bronx (click here for details).

BP Diaz continues on to say that "Bronx Week celebrates the best of the borough: our veterans, mothers, seniors, youth, business leaders, volunteers, artists, cinematographers, civic leaders and hometown greats. It is a week devoted to the people who matter most to this borough—people just like you."

This Bronx Week, get out there, meet fellow Bronxites, and explore!

Bronx Week is organized by the Borough President's Office, the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, and The Bronx Tourism Council.

Tuesday, 30 April 2013 08:30 Written by Cristiana Pena

On any given Saturday, in the early morning hours, Woodlawn belongs to the birds.  And on one very specific Saturday (April 27th), Woodlawn was the domain of urban birders! 

With binoculars and high-powered zoom lenses in hand, avian enthusiasts converged on The Woodlawn Cemetery to walk with the Audubon Society NYC chapter's Tod Winston; Woodlawn's historian, Susan Olsen; and Joseph McManus, an Audubon member and experienced guide who is also a Conservancy member (best of both worlds!).

Our mission: to spot the variety of birds, both migratory and permanent residents, that populate the cemetery.  And we were not disappointed!  Before we even deparetd our check-in location, one of Woodlawn's wild turkeys strutted across the lawn.  From there, the sparrows, yellow warblers, mockingbirds, cardinals, grackles, and a gaggle of other species (including, appropriately, geese) all made appearances.

Urban birding with the Audubon Society is a truly unique experience, and terrifically highlights the diversity of resources at Woodlawn.  Interested in joining us on a future birding excursion?  Subscribe for our eNewsletter; you'll be kept in the loop for all future events.

PHOTO: Tod Winston of the NYC Chapter of the Audubon Society, points out bird species as attendees look on with binoculars.

Tuesday, 30 April 2013 07:23 Written by Cristiana Pena

At Woodlawn, stories of love and devotion live on long after individuals are laid to rest.  We revisited these tales of amour on a walking tour in April, having had to cancel our tour originally scheduled for the Valentine's Day season.  The wait was worth it -- we couldn't have asked for more pleasant weather!

Our tour, entitled "Woodlawn is for Lovers," introduced attendees to people like Victor Herbert, whose song "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life" was a top wedding tune of the early 20th century.  And Sandy, the canine companion of Tony LaMura.  When Sandy passed, he was interred at nearby Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, in a mini-mausoleum to match his master's.  Love for "man's best friend!" And how incredible, when we visited the Straus mausoleum to pay respects to Ida and Isidor (both lost in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912), to learn that a distant descendent was on the tour with us!

Our walk culminated in the Woolworth Chapel, where the Bond Street Euterpean Singing Society (BSESS) performed a love-laden concert featuring compositions penned by many of Woodlawn's permanent resident.  From Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady," to Irving Berlin's "What'll I Do," to W.C. Handy's "The Memphis Blues."  And, reminding us of the tour we just enjoyed, Victor Herbert's "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life."  This rare Bronx performance by the BSESS was a perfect complement to our early afternoon walk. 

To those who may have missed it, you can see the BSESS perform in Manhattan at the Merchant's House Museum, where they are the current vocalists-in-residence.

Tuesday, 09 April 2013 14:06 Written by Cristiana Pena

Today, the Conservancy's Director of Programs, Cristiana Pena, joined the Bronx Rotary Club for their regular Tuesday meeting.  The subject: Woodlawn!  Held at Sammy's Shrimp Box on City Island (a Bronx institution!), the Rotarians were a welcoming bunch, eager to learn about the ways in which we celebrate the history, culture, art, and natural resources of the Cemetery.

Our jazz celebration on Sunday, April 28th proved to be of great interest -- "The Duke!" one member exclaimed from the audience.  And, with luck, some of the trees provided by the New York Restoration Project at our Sunday, April 14th giveaway will find new homes on City Island (more info here!). 

Our thanks goes to the Bronx Rotary Club, for providing the opportunity to share more about the Woodlawn Conservancy and its programs with your members!

Neon by day: The neon sign of Sammy's Shrimp Box restaurant,
during our meeting with the Bronx Rotary Club.

Monday, 01 April 2013 13:41 Written by Cristiana Pena

Last month's stargazing event with the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York was a tremendous success.  From within the darkened gates of The Woodlawn Cemetery, we spied the belt of Orion and the nebula of the same name.  Jupiter and its four moons could be seen just west of the illuminated moon. 

Couldn't make it? Enjoy this News 12 Bronx clip ... and plan to join us as we gather again on April 13th!

Click on the image above to watch the clip, or click here.

Tuesday, 26 March 2013 00:00 Written by Cristiana Pena

In 1889, with nothing but a small handbag in tow, Nellie Bly embarked on a daring adventure around the world.  On the same day, in the opposite direction, Elizabeth Bisland set off on the same mission: to travel around the globe faster than anyone had ever done before, including the fictional Phileas Fogg from Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days.

This past Sunday afternoon, with that premise in mind, we explored the history behind the famed race with Matthew Goodman, author of the new book Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World.  Goodman shared with our group perspective on the personalities of each woman, as well as the impact this fantastical adventure had on both their careers and their personal lives. 

Like any good storyteller -- though the tale is entirely true, it reads as enjoyably as a novel -- Goodman made sure not to reveal the identity of who won the famous race.  For that, we'll have to continue reading the book!

Copies of the book are available for sale at a special discounted price for Woodlawn Conservancy members.  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more info.


Photos: Author Matthew Goodman (top); Goodman's kids, Vivian and Ezra, holding a copy of the Nellie Bly board game which was produced to capitalize on the incredible public interest in the race (bottom).

Monday, 25 March 2013 10:18 Written by Cristiana Pena

Last week, The New York Times published "Art and History Among the Dead," a look by reporter Jane Levere at how historic cemeteries -- and The Woodlawn Cemetery, in particular -- are exploring and sharing their historical, cultural and natural resources in museum-like ways.

Click here to read the article.  Below, a look back at our morning with photographer Benjamin Petit, as he explored the cemetery for this article.

Photographer Benjamin Petit stands in the courtyard doorway
at the restored Harkness mausoleum.

The impressive door of the Huntington mausoleum,
whose interior stained glass was featured in the Times' article.

Sunday, 17 March 2013 00:00 Written by Cristiana Pena

On every holiday, we break out the songs you only sing once a year. This Sunday, March 17th, many New Yorkers will be trying to remember the words to “When Irish Eyes are Smiling,” a classic ballad written by Chauncey Olcott.

The Buffalo native also wrote another St.Patrick’s Day classic: “My Wild Irish Rose.” The two popular tunes earned Olcott the honor of being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Olcott was a founder of ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers which was established in 1914 to protect the rights of performing artists.

Olcott was laid to rest in the Hickory Knoll Plot of The Woodlawn Cemetery in 1932.


*The Woodlawn section of the Bronx, immediately to the north of the cemetery, is often refered to as "Little Ireland," due to the significant number Irish and Irish American families who call the neighborhood home.

Photo: Chauncey Olcott, photographed in 1890. Via

Friday, 15 March 2013 00:00 Written by Cristiana Pena

Today, March 15th, marks the 100th anniversary of the closing of the International Exhibition of Modern Art, better known as the “Armory Show.” The exhibition was controversial in its time, introducing New Yorkers to abstract works which inspired young artists to leave the world of realism and explore cutting-edge paintings and sculptures created by European artists.

So what happened to those who contributed to this radical movement?



Walt Kuhn, one of the curators for the show, became known for his portraits of circus performers and vaudeville stars. Italian born painter, Joseph Stella, who painted the iconic image of the Brooklyn Bridge (you can see the painting at the Whitney Museum) retired to the Bronx. Alexander Archipenko, influenced by Picasso and the Cubist movement, settled in Bearsville, New York, where he opened a school of art.

These three influential talents are memorialized at The Woodlawn Cemetery. Walt Kuhn rests under a boulder not far from the grave of Miles Davis. Right around the corner is a sculpture, “Premonition,” by Angelica, the wife of Archipenko. It serves as the couple’s gravestone. Stella, known for images of the industrial age, is entombed in a traditional mausoleum owned by his parents.

Remember those who brought exciting art to New York by visiting Woodlawn!

Images, clockwise from left: Alexander Archipenko's "Salomé"; Walt Kuhn; "Still Life," by Joseph Stella.

Thursday, 14 March 2013 09:21 Written by Cristiana Pena

Meet Nellie Bly.

Born in small-town Pennsylvania, Bly would skyrocket to fame as a pioneering, self-made female journalist who captured America’s imagination by defying its gender stereotypes.  All this in a time of Victorian Age propriety, when the few women reporters working received assignments more preoccupied with high society.

Bly was a scrappy, ambitious newspaperwoman who sought out the most sensational stories and, to quote one blogger, the "ultimate historical journalism crush."

Bly and her reporting contemporary, Elizabeth Bisland, are the subject of the newly published Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World, by Matthew Goodman.  The book tracks the two women as they departed from New York, in opposite directions, with one goal in mind: to travel solo around the world, and to do so fast than anyone, real or fictitious, had ever done so before.

Their inspiration: author Jules Verne’s Phileas Fogg, who famously -- though fictionally -- circumnavigated the globe over the course of 80 days in the classic novel Around the World in Eighty Days.

Join the Conservancy on Sunday, March 24th, as author Matthew Goodman describes his own journey retracing the boundary-breaking work of Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland.

To RSVP for our book talk + signing, click here.

Tuesday, 12 March 2013 18:32 Written by Cristiana Pena

"Tour guides are like snowflakes -- no two are ever alike!"

So were informed our newest volunteer tour guide recruits at our most recent training session.  Our day-long class, led by seasoned cemetery guides J. Joseph Edgette and Rich Sauers, covered everything from researching and preparing a tour script to the logistics of plotting a route and timing one's tour.

But the most important thing Joe and Rich impressed upon our guides-in-training: be yourself and have fun!  Every guide brings a different set of skills and unique personality to their tour.  Study, study, study your material and then ... have fun sharing your knowledge with our visitors!

Couldn't make our latest tour guide training session?  Interested in learning to be a volunteer guide?  Email Cristiana at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to learn more!

Photo: J. Joseph Edgette, left, and Rich Sauers, right, discuss the interpretation of
the F.W. Woolworth mausoleum with our volunteer tour guide trainees.

Friday, 08 March 2013 12:26 Written by Cristiana Pena

You win some, you lose some.  Today, Mother Nature wins!

THERE WILL BE NO STARGAZING EVENT TODAY, MARCH 8TH.

Inclement weather has forced us to postpone our stargazing session, originally scheduling for today from 7PM to 10PM.  Our friends at the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York have been carefully tracking the skies and evaluating predictions for cloud transparency and reflectivity. In doing so, they’ve determined that the overcast will preclude any successful observing tonight.

The response to stargazing at Woodlawn has been so tremendous; a secondary date has already been set!  MARK YOUR CALENDARS for Saturday, March 23rd at 7PM.

Same logistics apply: enter via the Jerome Avenue entrance to Woodlawn Cemetery; gates will remain open from 6:30PM to 7:30PM for entry.  Gates will reopen at 10PM, when observing concludes.

Please watch your email (and Facebook, if you learned about the event that way) for new updates as our alternate date approaches!

Do not hesitate to contact the Woodlawn Conservancy via This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone (718-920-1463, ext. 225) with any questions.  And please share this update along to any friends you know were considering attending!

Photo: The Webb obelisk in Oak Hill plot, where stargazing will take place on March 23rd, covered in a pristine blanket of fresh snow.