I'm just seeing this now. Thanks for the "shout out." Best, James * * * * James Nevius www.jamesnevius.com *Exploring the intersections of history, memory, genealogy, and travel* Now out: "Footprints in New York: Tracing the Lives of Four Centuries of New Yorkers" (Lyons Press) www.footprintsinnewyork.com -- http://footprintsinnewyork.blogspot.com *"**Footprints in New York has some of the sharpest, most informative meditations on the history of the city that I have encountered in a long time." *—Edwin G. Burrows, co-author of *Gotham *and author of *Forgotten Patriots.* On Tue, Nov 3, 2015 at 10:24 AM, mizscarlettny via <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > In its 2005 Archaeological Assessment of Washington Square Park [PDF > download], the New York City Parks and Recreation Department confirms that > corpses “possibly numbered as many as 20,000 and it appears these burials > remain under varying depths of fill.” > > In the popular guidebook Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New > York City by Michelle Nevius and James Nevius, the authors detail, “While > estimates vary, it seems likely that over 20,000 people were buried in the > land.... The bulk of the bodies were never disinterred, which means that > they remain to this day under the grass and pavement of Washington Square.” > > > So, how did those bodies get there? In 1797, the quickly expanding New > York City government purchased a portion of an old farm for $4,500 to > create a potter’s field—a burial ground for the indigent, poor, criminals, > and victims of epidemic. The potter’s field operated for almost thirty > years and occupied what is now the eastern two-thirds of Washington Square > Park. It also happened to be adjacent to several established church > cemeteries, adding to the area’s body count. In Around Washington Square > Harris commented that this area was a “natural choice for such bleak > facilities because it was a rural northern suburb of the city and already > the site of cemeteries owned by downtown churches.” > > Hundreds of people who could not afford to be buried privately were laid > to rest in the field. Soon, the city sheriff erected a public gallows, near > the current location of the Square’s fountain. Three-quarters of a mile > away was a prison on the Hudson,[Blackwell's Island Penitentiary] which > Harris describes as “another source of supply for field and noose.” What > ultimately put the burial ground over capacity were the series of epidemics > of yellow fever which struck in the years 1797, 1798, 1801, and 1803. This > caused the city to seek and create a new, larger potter’s field at the > current site of Bryant Park. (The bodies in Bryant Park were however > relocated to Ward’s Island, and may still be there...) > > excerpted from>>>> > > http://www.nypl.org/blog/2011/03/10/grim-origins-washington-square-park > > > > > > > > > ************************************* > Jim Garrity, List Administrator > [email protected] > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message