New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-06
THE CEMETERY IN THE PARK
INCONGRUOUS SURROUNDINGS OF THE
FRIENDS BURIAL GROUND.
EFFECTTALLY SHIELDED BY TREES AND SHRUB
Berry FROM THE GAZE OF THE PUBLIc-IN
PROSPECT PARK. But NOT OF TIA

Berry FROM THE GAZE OF THE PUBLrc-IN
PROSPECT PARK. But NOT OF TIA
PEACEFUL AND BEAUTIFUL SPOT.
On recent morning two were coming down
the road that leads to ;he top of Lookout Hill. in
Prospect Park. one of them was resident OF
Brooklyn of twenty years standing or more; the
other was making his first visit TO the city. As
they neared the bottom Of the hill the first said
to the second:
Il going to show you something that Will
surprise you-something the like Of which prob
ably cannot be found in any other park In the
country"
As they ncared the main drive running east ana
west they perceived in the thick shield of shrub
berry the other side of the roadway narrow
opening just wide enough for vehicle of ordinary
width to make its way in. Unless his attention
had been particularly directed to 1t. the new
conner making his first visit to the Park would
have passed IT by unnoticed The crossed the
drive and the adjoining bride path. and entered
this opening.
At the distance of twenty feet more their way
barred by an iron gate. looking over when
they could mcosure of considerable ex-
tent bounded by an iron fence next the screen
Of shrubbery which they had Just penetrated. and
with wooden palings in the distance on either
side. A roadway led up through the grounds,
which in welkept condition, and near II.
few rods away. the left side. was small
wooden building. In front of this building
stretched a cleanly shaven lawn. with some large
and stately trees here and there. on tree just
inside the gate sign which read Private
Grounds. No Admittance."
SURPRISE A NATURAL EMOTION
It is not strange that the visitor manifested
some surprise The house was not large enough
for a residence; it looked rather. like AN office
building and his first thought was that some one
of the Park officials had his headquarters there;
but IT seemed singular in that case, that 1t should
be set aside 'private grounds and the pubic
shut out To the right of the little building an IT.
regular but gracefully rounded hill arose. and in
places its side and toward the top were seen
number of what appeared to be white stones set
IN the soil each seeming to be close to
mound of grass-covered earth.
Well what do you think of it, at length asked
the resident Brooklynite Of his companion.
Il hardly know what to say" was the answer.
but I'll tell you what 1t makes me think OF.
There are things there that strongly sug-
sest a cemetery but who ever heard Of a cemetery
in park?
You are right" said the other: ut is a ceme
tery-the Friends Cemetery. the Quaker Gene
terry as It Is more commonly called. You might
have gone along the road there a thousand times
and never had the slightest suspicion of such a
thing and | suppose there thousands of people
who consider themselves fairly familiar with our
beautiful Park who have idea that right in the
midst OF II there is this space set apart for the
burial of the dead The cemetery was laid out
hero long before the Park thought of. and
when the Park was established it was allowed to
remain. entrance to it being had only through the
nearest park gate. which is only thirty or forty
rods away off there to the west
Entering the gate. which yielded readily to the
lifting of "A latch. Notwithstanding the prohibiting
sign close hand, no objection was made to the
visitors making circuit Of the cemetery, which
of an
as beautifully situated and as neatly kept as one
could wish the last resting place of the dead to be.
NO osTENTATIOUS DISPLAY.
The utter absence of any ostentatious display is
noteworthy There monuments or mauso-
leums there is elaborate carving; there arc
no ornamental stones. quaker severity and SIM
plcity prevail everywhere. The grass is carefully
trimmed and small shrubs abound. and few
althaeas in flower are to be seen.
The most striking feature Of the Friends Gene
terry is the character of the tombstones. They are
uniform in height. II not in size the height being
over fourteen or fifteen inches The inscrip-
tons on them Of the simplest character; in
most cases only the name and the year Of birth
and OF death; and. a rule part OF the inscrip-
ton is on the curved upper surface of the stone.
Most Of the stones are of marble, but there Is no
objection to the OF granite; only the rule Is that
is nothing In the Friends Book OF Discipline that
forbids more elaborate tombstones or monuments
Prospect Park a. unobtrusive as possible such a
So mod st and retiring is it that its presence in
the Park is never suspected by those whose atten-
ton IS not directly called to IT, The wooden fence
ncIosing the cemetery on three sides can be seen
from some of the Park walks. and one passing on
the road between the cemetery and Lookout Hill.
by looking closely can some of the white marble
stones through the openings in the trees. No
cemetery grounds however. viii disclose its pres
ence. -, ,.,,
Mrrns S'% of Fcns @ o o and 1ae BrookVn
and is the only one in the neighborhood OF the
the original plot consisted OF seventeen acres.
About three acres were sold to the city when the
prisSs some fourteen acres 1t is divided into TWO
unequal parts by the roadway that passes near its
centre: the eastern and smaller part belongs TO me
orthodox Friends. and the remainder TO the Hicks
charge Of the grounds but they are an under the
direction of one superinJendrnt James q. string
ham, who has held this Office for the last five years
40 PLOTS SOLD.
No lots in the cemetery are sold. but plots
assigned to certain families. The permits issued
by the committees when burals are about TO take
place contain the following provision:
although certain plots in this cemetery are
allotted to families. 1t is expressly understood that
this gives them no title rights of ownership. but
said ground is the property of the Monthly Meeting
OF Friends of New-lork and Brooklyn. and IS at
all times subject to IT'S control and regulations
Superintendent Stringham takes great pride In
Keeping the grounds in good order He was much
two OF three years lgo when an article was printed
in one of the New-York papers stating that there
had been burials in the cemetery for twenty
Years thar no care taken OF II. and that the
place was all grown up with bushes. A few
minutes investigation would have shown the
writer OF the article that there not the slightest
basis for such statement
AS matter of fact thirty or forty burials take
place i'm the Friends Cemetery every year ana
sometimes there "A many rs two week.
Peope are buried there ut times whose bodies have
been brought from long distance. because Of
their associations with Brooklyn or their former
connection with the Fri, nds Society here. While
there IS no other Friends burying ground In or
about New-York. there are "A number on Long
Island where the Cuakcrs were formerly numerous.
The best kept of these cemeteries is At Westbury;
W.stbury; oyster Bay. Matnnecock and other
places. - .,,,,
The cemetery I'm Prospect Park was established
0ftv years ago and the first burial In II took
place in 1915 Before thi, a number of bodies Were
transferred there from the old buryins ground In
UoIston-st NEW York. The entire number II
graves il about 500 two-thirds being in the Hicks