‘Nothing But Death’: 20,000 Bodies Buried Under One of New York City’s Busiest Parks

New York City’s Washington Square Park has always been known for drawing crowds. In the 1820s, the area was a parade ground, according to the city’s parks department. After it became a public park in 1827, wealthy…

IJR SyndicatedDec 24, 20224 min read

Sponsored

” tour guides.

“This is nothing but Death all around here,” one local expert said in a YouTube video.

Did you know there are thousands of bodies buried under Washington Square Park in New York? YesNo
Completing this poll entitles you to our news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Yes: 8% (23 Votes) No: 92% (275 Votes)

📺 Embedded media — coming soon

It has created some memorable moments for maintenance crews who have unexpectedly stumbled upon human remains while digging in the area, the Post reported.

“In 1965, Con Edison maintenance workers sinking a shaft into the ground got a shock when they penetrated the roof of an underground chamber filled with around two dozen skeletons,” according to the outlet.

Loading post…

Surprisingly, Washington Square Park is not the only public place in New York that served as a burial ground.

“It turns out, some of the city’s most popular places to read books, sunbathe, host birthday parties, and let your dog roam off leash started out as potter’s fields,” Jordan Galloway wrote on the website BrooklynBased.com.

“Union Square, Madison Square, Sara D. Roosevelt and Bryant Parks … were originally purchased by the city to serve as burial grounds for New Yorkers unable to afford final resting places.”

Even a handful of the city’s playgrounds were constructed on old burial grounds, according to Untapped New York.

In the 1930s, it said, a park was under construction at Martin’s Field in Flushing. “When they dug the wading pool, workers reported finding ‘bones galore,’ as well as pennies that had been used to cover the eyes of the dead,” the website said. That site had been the former Colored Cemetery of Flushing.

One playground in Greenwich Village was built over the former burying ground of St. John’s Chapel of Trinity Church, where, according to Untapped New York, Edgar Allen Poe was fond of wandering among the graves.

New York City urban archeologist Joan Geismar has been called in to investigate when human remains have been found, according to the Post. Geismar’s work has unearthed artifacts that bring to life some details about the city’s long-forgotten inhabitants.

“It should give us perspective,” she told the Post.

“We blindly go walking down the sidewalks of New York, but what we see now isn’t what it used to be. People were here before, and the archeological record is there if you take the trouble to read it.”

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.