Imagine a serene urban green space. That’s Trinity Church Cemetery. It sits amid the hustle of New York City. This uptown cemetery is a place for locals and tourists to find peace.
Trinity Church Cemetery is on the border of Hamilton Heights and Washington Heights. It serves as the final resting place for many notable New Yorkers. Politicians, artists, writers, and musicians rest here. People from all walks of life found their final resting place here.
Trinity Parish acquired the land for Trinity Church Cemetery in 1842. Burials were no longer allowed in the downtown churchyards of St. Paul’s Chapel and Trinity Church. James Renwick Jr. designed the cemetery grounds. In 1871, the city extended Broadway. This split Trinity Church Cemetery into Easterly and Westerly Divisions.
As Manhattan’s only active community mausoleum, Trinity Church Cemetery offers interment options. People of all faiths can find a place for reflection here.
Trinity Church Cemetery is the heart of New York City’s Heritage Rose District. These roses are old varieties, nearly extinct now. Some plants grew from cuttings. These cuttings came from some of the last known shrubs.
Before Trinity Church Cemetery was founded, the area saw fierce fighting. It was the Battle of Washington Heights during the American Revolutionary War. Soldiers from that era are buried here. A marker honors their legacy.
John James Audubon rests just outside the Church of the Intercession. He was an ornithologist and author. His book, The Birds of America, was influential.
Two former New York City mayors were interred in the Easterly Division. They are Fernando Wood and Edward Koch. Two Titanic passengers also rest here. John Jacob Astor IV died in the shipwreck. His wife, Madeline Talmadge Force Astor, survived. She gave birth to a son four months later.
Clement Clarke Moore is buried in the western half of Trinity Church Cemetery. He shaped Americans’ image of Santa Claus. He wrote the poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas. It is better known as The Night Before Christmas. Eliza Jumel is nearby. Her business skills helped her amass a fortune. She divorced Aaron Burr and hired Alexander Hamilton’s son as her lawyer.
In 1980, Trinity Church Cemetery added a modern mausoleum complex. It stands near Riverside Drive. Ralph Ellison rests here. He was a National Book Award winner. Amsale Aberra is also here. She was a trendsetting wedding dress designer. Law and Order star Jerry Orbach is interred here as well.
Trinity Church Cemetery is open to visitors every day from 9 am to 4 pm. It may close due to bad weather. The cemetery office is near the intersection of W 153rd Street and Riverside Drive.