Moravian Cemetery, Staten Island

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.

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In what was a purely farming community, the 113 acre (457,000 m²) cemetery was originally made available as a free cemetery for the public in order to discourage families from using farm burial plots.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 family.

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.

Notable burials

• Alice Austen (1866–1952), photographer
• Paul Castellano (1915–1985), mobster
• Robert M. Davies (1830–1896) Captain of Company......
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