All Faiths Cemetery
The All Faiths Cemetery is located in Middle Village, Queens, New York. The 225-acre (91 ha) cemetery was established in 1850 by Lutheran pastor Frederick W. Geissenhainer, and incorporated in 1852.[1][2] It is also known as the Lutheran Cemetery or Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery. Approximately 540,000 burials have been conducted at All Faiths since its founding.[3]
History
In 1847 the New York state legislature passed the Rural Cemetery Act, which allowed non-profit organizations to incorporate and sell burial plots. Seeing an opportunity to provide a lower-cost alternative to existing cemeteries such as Green-wood in Brooklyn, the Rev. Dr. Frederick W. Geissenhainer, the pastor of St. Paul's German Lutheran Church, conferred with representatives of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church (his prior parish.)[4][5] While St. Paul's decided against investing in this endeavor, St. Matthew's and Dr. Geissenhainer pursued the purchase of land in Queens in 1850. The parcels owned by St. Matthews and Dr. Geissenhainer were held and developed separately; he incorporated as the "Lutheran Cemetery" (although members of all faiths were accepted) on March 22, 1852. Additional acreage was purchased over the next few years, and the Lutheran Cemetery bought the St. Matthew's land in 1868.[1] Burials at the Lutheran Cemetery started at $2.50, and plots could be obtained for $7.00.[1]
Notable burials and memorials
- PS General Slocum Steamboat Fire Mass Memorial – commemorates the 1,021 victims of a 1904 disaster, 61 of whom are buried at All Faiths Cemetery.
- John Kissel (1864–1938) – U.S. Congressman.
- John Herman George Vehslage (1842–1904) – U.S. Congressman.
- Frank T. Hopkins (1865–1951) – horseman and endurance rider.
- Carrie Nye (1936–2006) – actress.
- William Johnston "Buffalo Bill" Hogg (1881–1909) – Major League Baseball player.
- Charley Jones (1852–1911) – Major League Baseball player.
- William G. Mank (1831–1887) – Brigadier General in the Union Army in the Civil War.[6]
- William Koelpin (1845–1912) – U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.
- William Lord (1841–1915) – U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.
- Charles Stephen Schepke (1878–1933) – U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.
- Christian Streile (1838–1886) – U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.
- George Uhrl (1838–1911) – U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.
- Fred Trump (1905–1999) – real estate developer.
- Otto Botticher (1811–1886) – artist, lithographer and Civil War veteran.
In popular culture
The following films have been shot at the cemetery:
- Rosemary's Baby (1968)[7]
- Man on a Ledge (2012)[8]
- Abigail (2019)[9]
References
- "History of Middle Village and the Lutheran Cemetery – JuniperCivic.com". www.junipercivic.com. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- "Our History – All Faith Cemetery". Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- "All Faith Cemetery". Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- "History of Middle Village and the Lutheran Cemetery – JuniperCivic.com". www.junipercivic.com. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- "The Pastoral Records of Frederick W. Geissenhainer". New-York Historical Society. 2012-09-26. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- "Points Of Interest – All Faith Cemetery". Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- "Top Five Creepiest Locations from Rosemary's Baby". On Location Tours. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- "Man on a Ledge Film Locations – [otsoNY.com]". onthesetofnewyork.com. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- "Abigail (2019) – Movie Reviews". movies-reviews.com. Retrieved 2020-06-03.