The sun., 1894-05-06
BETH HAHN TO ne RESTORED.
Story OF the Quaint, Neglected Old Jewish
Graveyard In Chatham Square.

Story OF the Ouaint, Neglected Old Jewish
Graveyard In Chatham Square.
What has long been an eyesore to travellers
on the east side elevated roads. the ancient
neglected. .refuse-strewn graveyard In Chatham
square Is now undergoing transformation a,
the hands OF gardeners. masons. and painters
The bodies OF 300 OF the earliest settlers oil
Manhattan Island lie there and Its unkept con-
dition has often been the subject OF newspaper
wrtInGs- The cats OF Oliver and James streets
take their ram bles there. Old boots. crockery.
and played-out kitchen utensils, used as
missiles by the disturbed tenants to quiet the
feline concerts have csrpeted the graveyard
for many years These have been cleared away
periodically. but q few nights only Is sufficient
10 renew the supply.
Weeds grow rank there. The tall iron fence
Is rusty and festooned with eobweb. The
brick wall Is crumbling and m ouldy. A moro
unsightly spot could not be contriyed- But
all this is to be changed.
The descendants OF the dead Spanish m er-
chants whose graves are there have made a
generous appropriation. and the decayed Beth
Hahn is to be restored. Flower gardens will
blossom. The sods will be cultivated. The
walls will be renewed and the iron fence re-
paired. A caretaksr will be stationed at the
gate by day TO admit Visitors who may wish TO
shamins ne, Mat are ne most ancient tomb
This is the very spot marked out by Gov
stuYvesant as place OF burial for the twenty
three West Indian Jews whose arrival two
years before so disturbed the colony. The
colonial graveyard was then At the northwest
corner OF Broadway and Morris street, but
none but Christians were Inferred there. The
spot assigned to the jews was then SO far from
the city that = deed was not considered i'm
portant. and none was given. The Jew mer-
chants. however were careful to acquire title.
and at the same Time extend the borders OF
the Beth Hahn IN 1851. when purchase was
made from William and Mary Merritt.
Other purchases were made In the next cen
tury. so that after the Revolutionary war the
Jews burial ground occupied most OF the
block between Iayeis AM lanes James tfeets; Io ,o
that time the property had been held oy trus-
tees hut when the state Legislature re2og-
niZsd the corporation OF shearith israel; whose
synagogue was at that time at ~ ~ Mill lnow
South William street. the burial grounds
passed into their hands.
some Of the outside lots were sold on, as
Chatham square property became valuable,
would have remained undisturbed until this
day tho dead OF 100 years. but the New Bow
cry was projected 10 connect Franklin ana
Chatham squares. aud now what was once
The remains OF the spanish pioneers were
carried uD to a plot in TWenty-nrst street. in
the rear of ONeills stores. and there Inferred.
This raised the question of removing al the
square. but the conservative element OF the
congregation opposed 1t, and the questl on WAS
su bm tied to q learned Jew teacher In London
for his opinion OF the law. His answer was
thar ths dead in eonseeTAtsd ground must
never be disturbed The will Of the city Was.
OF course superior to this law, but not a foot
OF the Beth Hahn osyond tho line required ior
the new street Was TO be touches This opin-
ion although Il Was not Of binding force. has
heen a Law unto the congregation OF nhearltn
Israel from that dAy to this.