Walking Tour of Old Calvary Cemetery -Sponsored by the New York Irish History Roundtable (but you don't have to be Irish to enjoy the tour) Hosted by Rosemary Muscarella Ardolina The first Catholic cemetery in New York City was established in 1785 on the corner of Barclay and Church Streets, the current location of St. Peter's Catholic Church. However, in 1845, due to the growth of the city's Catholic (mainly Irish) population, Archbishop John Hughes and the trustees of Old St. Patrick's Cathedral purchased 115 acres of farmland in an area known as Blissville in Queens. The land was named Calvary Cemetery. The first burial took place in 1848, a 29-year-old Irish woman, Esther Ennis. An 1878 description of her grave says there was only a modest wooden cross to mark it, now long gone. Her grave was dug by Calvary's first gravedigger, "Long" John McCann. Calvary Cemetery was enlarged over the years, and now comprises 365 acres made up of four divisions: Old or First Calvary, Second Calvary, Third Calvary and Fourth Calvary. It is estimated that over three million people have been buried there since 1848. Our tour of Old Calvary will be conducted by Rosemary Muscarella Ardolina. While tracing her Irish and Italian ancestors, Rosemary decided to document every gravestone in Old Calvary that showed a place of birth as well as those for veterans of the Civil and Spanish-American Wars. (Over 90% of these stones cite Ireland as a place of birth.) In 1996 she published Calvary Cemetery, New Yorkers Carved in Stone. Second Calvary Cemetery - New Yorkers Carved in Stone was published in 2000 (both books available from Delia Publications, at website www.DeliaPbl.com). Rosemary has also assisted in documenting and preserving many parish sacramental registers and is always looking for volunteers to assist in this work. (She may be contacted at [email protected]) The tour will begin at 1:30 p.m. and take about 1½ hours. Meet at the entrance to Old Calvary Cemetery on Greenpoint Avenue by no later than 1:15 p.m. (Total walking distance is approximately 1 mile on flat terrain.) For those who do not wish to walk, a map will be provided at the beginning of the tour so they can drive to sites. For refreshments, the Cork Pub is across from the cemetery entrance. (Bring the exact location (section, range & plot number) of your ancestors graves and you will receive assistance with finding it after the tour.) Directions: Transportation to Old Calvary by car is advised. By car: Long Island Expressway west to the Greenpoint Avenue exit. Made a left at the traffic light. Go about 1/4 mile to the entrance of Old Calvary which is on your left. Parking is available on the roads inside the Cemetery entrance. (Please respect areas where funeral corteges might be parked.) By subway: Take #7 local train to 40th Street (Lowery) and Queen Boulevard. Walk south of 40th Street to Greenpoint Avenue Turn right and walk southwest on Greenpoint Avenue toward Bradley Avenue. Look for cemetery entrance on your left. Raindate: Saturday, May 10, 2003