Three million stories rest here. Calvary Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in the United States by interments. It serves as the final resting place for many New York City residents.
The Archdiocese of New York established Calvary Cemetery in 1848. This was after their burial grounds at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral closed. The cemetery sits in Long Island City and Woodside in Queens. The Trustees of St. Patrick’s Cathedral manage it. Calvary served as the main burial ground for Manhattan’s Roman Catholic population for years. Burials still occur here today.
By the early 1900s, Calvary Cemetery had over 750000 interments. It handled 18000 burials a year. That was almost half the annual deaths in the city at that time. Calvary’s 365 acres hold five times as many bodies as Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.
Calvary Cemetery divides into two sections. Old or First Calvary is the cemetery’s earliest parcel. New Calvary has three divisions. They stretch from Queens Blvd to 55th Ave. The Long Island Expressway and Brooklyn-Queens Expressway cut through them.
Calvary Cemetery’s scenic power comes from its magnitude of graves and tombs. It also comes from the surrounding urban life. Old Calvary does contain significant monuments and features. The red brick gatehouse at the main entrance is an architectural gem. It is one of the last of its kind in the area.
At the center of the grounds is the cemetery’s chapel. They declared it the “most remarkable mortuary chapel in America” when erected in 1908. Raymond F. Almirall designed it. It features a beehive-shaped concrete dome. A statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus crowns it. Crypts below the building are for the burial of priests of the Archdiocese.
In the southeastern part of Old Calvary is a Civil War monument. The City of New York erected it in 1866. It honors 21 Roman Catholic Union soldiers. They are interred in a 40×40 foot plot. It is a city-owned park within Calvary. The 50-foot-high granite obelisk is surmounted by a bronze figure. It represents peace. Daniel Draddy sculpted it.
Adjacent to Calvary’s Civil War monument is a memorial to New York City’s Fighting 69th Infantry Regiment. They formed in 1849. This Irish-heritage unit gained notoriety for its bravery in the Civil War.
Near the Civil War plot is a metal fence. It encloses a “cemetery within a cemetery.” This small burial ground predates Calvary Cemetery. The Trustees of St. Patrick’s Cathedral purchased land from Mrs. Ann Alsop in 1845. It was part of a farm that had been in her family for generations. It included the old family graveyard. The agreement provided that the Alsop family burial ground would remain untouched. The Trustees have maintained it. About 30 gravestones stand in the old burial ground. They date from 1718 to 1889.
The showpiece at Old Calvary is the Johnston mausoleum. It sits atop a hill near the cemetery’s eastern edge. It has a figure of Christ holding a cross at its summit. Sculpted angels stand at each corner of the roof. They gaze heavenward.
John Johnston, head of the dry goods firm J. & C. Johnston, built the mausoleum in 1873. It reportedly cost $200000. Born in Ireland in 1834, Johnston came to New York in 1847. His successful dry goods firm included his brother Charles Johnston. John bore a deep affection for Charles. He never recovered from his death. John died in 1887. He left the family fortune and business in the hands of his younger brother, Robert Johnston. The once-thriving firm closed a year after John’s death. Robert gradually lost the family millions. He spent his final years in poverty. He lived as a recluse in a barn on his former estate.
Many notable individuals are buried at Calvary. Annie Moore was the first immigrant processed through Ellis Island. Joseph Petrosino was a trailblazing NYPD detective. He was a pioneer in the fight against organized crime. Four-time New York governor Al Smith is here. He was the first Roman Catholic to run for United States president in 1928. Moreover, Calvary is legendary. It is the fictional burial site of Vito Corleone in The Godfather.