Calvary Cemetery is divided into four sections, spread across the neighborhoods of Maspeth and Woodside. The oldest, First Calvary, is also called "Old Calvary". The Second, Third and Fourth sections are all considered part of "New Calvary".
The first Calvary Cemetery burial occurred on July 31, 1848. The name of the deceased was Esther Ennis, who reportedly "died of a broken heart."[5] The cemetery was consecrated by ArchbishopJohn Hughes in August 1848. By 1852 there were 50 burials a day, half of them poor Irish under seven years of age. In the early 20th century, influenza and tuberculosis epidemics caused a shortage of gravediggers, and people dug graves for their own loved ones.[5] The entire number of interments from the cemetery's opening in August 1848 until January 1898, was 644,761. From January 1898 until 1907 there were about 200,000 interments, thus yielding roughly 850,000 interments at Calvary Cemetery by 1907.[6]
Blissville gate of Old Calvary
Calvary was accessible by ferryboats crossing the East River from 23rd Street in Manhattan. It cost an adult seven dollars to be buried there. Burial of children under age seven cost three dollars; children aged seven to fourteen cost five dollars. As development in Manhattan's East Village expanded, bodies buried in that neighborhood were transferred to Queens. In 1854, ferry service opened by 10th Street and the East River.
The original division of the cemetery, now known as First Calvary or Old Calvary, was filled by 1867. The Archdiocese of New York expanded the area of the cemetery, adding more sections, and by the 1990s there were nearly 3 million burials in Calvary Cemetery. The Cemetery continues to add plots and burial spaces can be purchased in advance.
In 1949, several hundred workers at the cemetery went on strike.
Calvary is split into four sections. The first section is known as First Calvary or Old Calvary, and is located to the west of the section of the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway (I-278) that runs between the Long Island Expressway (I-495) interchange and Newtown Creek. The others are known collectively as New Calvary, and as a group to the east of the above-mentioned section of the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway.
First Calvary Cemetery is bounded by the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway, Review Ave and 37th Street.
Second Calvary Cemetery is in-between the Long Island and Brooklyn–Queens Expressways, and also bounded by 48th Street and 58th Street. The cemetery's offices are located here, at 49–02 Laurel Hill Boulevard.
Third Calvary Cemetery is north of the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway, and also bounded by Queens Boulevard, 49th Street and 58th Street.
Fourth Calvary Cemetery is south of the Long Island Expressway, and also bounded by 55th Avenue, 50th Street and 58th Street.
The cemetery's chapel is named for St. Callixtus and was designed by Raymond F. Almirall.[7] Originally a frame structure, it was rebuilt using limestone in 1908.[8]
A view of the cemetery showing the Long Island ExpresswayStatue of a Union soldier69th Regiment monument
The Calvary Monument, erected in 1866, originally with bronze sculptures is located in the park. It is by Daniel Draddy, one of the Draddy Brothers, who sculpted the obelisk to William James MacNeven.[10] There is no signage from either entrance, nor any mention on the official web site's maps. It is located at 40°43′51″N73°55′47″W / 40.7308°N 73.9297°W / 40.7308; -73.9297. The monument was last renovated in 1929. A conservation effort was initiated in 2009, but as of 2022[update] is not done.
Joseph Petrosino (1860–1909), NYPD's first commanding officer of the "Black Hand Squad" (aka Italian Squad), a precursor to the NYPD's Bomb Squad, who investigated the Italian Mafia who used explosives to shake down businesses in NYC. Detective Lieutenant Petrosino, an Italian-American, was the first NYPD officer killed overseas in the "line of duty", while investigating organized crime in Italy. Subject of the film Pay or Die
Mary A. Sullivan (1878/1879–1950), first woman in NYPD to be a homicide detective, lieutenant and first grade detective. Founded the Policewoman's Endowment Association.[12]
Lawrence V. Cullen, J.D., USMC (1948–2012), Justice New York State Court of Claims (appointed by Gov. George Pataki), elected New York State Supreme Court, 11th Judicial District – 1st (Old Calvary – St. Callixtus)
Alfred E. Smith (1873–1944), Governor of New York State and 1928 U.S. presidential candidate
Timothy Sullivan (1862–1913), U.S. Representative in Congress (1903–1906; 1912), long-term member of New York State Legislature and sponsor of the Sullivan Act
^ abcdeDash, Mike (2009). The First Family: Terror, Extortion and the Birth of the American Mafia. London: Simon & Schuster. p. Epilogue, page 27. ISBN978-1-84737-173-7.
Media related to Calvary Cemetery (Queens) at Wikimedia Commons
