Long last and with your support the Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries is pleased to announce: Saturday, October 17, 2009 Staten Island Marine Hospital/Quarantine (1799-1858) Memorial Service - Entombment - Reception Save the Date FREE EVENT - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 10 AM Memorial Service Starts at: St. Peter's Catholic Church St. Marks Place, S.I. NY 10301 Monsignor James Dorney & Reverand Richard Michael, Trinity Lutheran Church officiating Caskets holding the remains of the immigrants that were exhumed from the St. George municipal parking lot will be brought into St. Peters Catholic Church courtesy of Meislohn Silvie Funeral Home and lead by the Staten Island Pipes and Drums, Ancient Order of Hibernian's Honor Guard for the memorial service. Both St. Peters and Trinity Lutheran Church have a long history with the Quarantine, both Churches adminstered to the immigrants and the Priests at St. Peter's succumbed to illness and died. 11:30 am - 3 PM Reception at: Tappen Park Oktoberfest Bay Street @ Water and Canal Street Stapleton, S.I. 10304 Kilmeyers Old Bavarian Inn will provide an Oktoberfest Cafe & Manhattan Brewery will supply beverages. Music by: ANDY COONEY & Band Staten Island's unique history includes a major quarantine station – Marine Hospital - that operated from 1799-1858. Countless immigrants of all nationalities, entered into New York Harbor only to be found with infectious disease, held in quarantine at the Marine Hospital on Staten Island, died and were buried in mass graves on the compound. During the mid 19th century immigration through New York was considerable. Although no complete listing survives from the Marine Hospital of inmates, Richmond County Mortality Schedule for a 6 month period from 1849-1850 shows that the majority of the 650 individuals listed were the victims of the Great Irish Hunger, other nationalities listed on the 1850's Mortality Schedule include, Germany, England, Holland, France, Switzerland, Scotland and of course New York City, America. The cemetery was largely obliterated in the 1950’s to make the current municipal parking lot. A few years ago during a recent State of New York construction project at the lot, a section of the original cemetery was found intact under the asphalt as well as finding substantial scattered human remains throughout the site. The majority of these were removed and are currently held at the archeologist lab in Brooklyn. We will bring them back to Staten Island on Saturday, October 17, 2009 where a proper entombment will be provided to them at long last. Please join us on Saturday, October 17, 2009 for this unique opportunity to honor our ancestors and provide them a long awaited proper & dignified entombment. For further information, please contact Lynn 917-545-3309 or _SICemetery@aol.com_ (mailto:SICemetery@aol.com) or Bill _Siaoh@aol.com_ (mailto:Siaoh@aol.com) . THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC We are here today because of those that came before us. Organizations as well as individuals that have donated time, funding and endless effort will be acknowledged in the next announcement. Please save the date and join us for this truly unique event. Sincerely, Lynn A. Rogers Executive Director 917-545-3309 Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries, Inc. Staten Island 158 Myrtle Avenue Staten Island, New York 10310 The Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries is a not for profit, New York State Charitable Organization incorporated in the State of NY in 1983. We currently serve to protect, preserve, beautify the 20 known S.I. abandoned, neglected or otherwise forgotten Staten Island cemeteries. We maintain approximately 40 acres of cemetery property as well as preserving the obscure burial records dating back over 200 years.