Established 1850 Type Jewish Founded 1850 | Country U.S.A. Find a Grave Washington Cemetery Phone +1 718-377-8690 | |
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Address 5400 Bay Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11230, USA Hours Closed today SaturdayClosedSunday8AM–3:30PMMonday8AM–3:30PMTuesday8AM–3:30PMWednesday8AM–3:30PMThursday8AM–3:30PMFriday8AM–3:30PMSuggest an edit Similar Mount Zion Cemetery, Mount Hebron Cemetery, Montefiore Cemetery, Baron Hirsch Cemetery, Bayside Cemetery | ||
Washington Cemetery is an old, historical, and predominantly Jewish burial ground located at 5400 Bay Parkway in Mapleton, Brooklyn, New York, United States.
Contents
- Cemetery configuration
- Cemetery 1
- Cemetery 2
- Cemetery 3
- Cemetery 4
- Cemetery 5
- List of Societies in Washington Cemeteries
- Notable burials
- References
Washington Cemetery was founded in 1850, and it became a Jewish burial-ground as early as 1857. Brooklyn cemeteries came into existence due to the Rural Cemetery Act of 1847, which allowed for the construction of commercial cemeteries outside the city limits. This part of Kings County was not yet incorporated into the City of Brooklyn, and the legislation resulted in the transformation of several large parcels of farmland into cemeteries.
Cemetery configuration
Washington Cemetery is made up of five "gated cemeteries" separated by several local Brooklyn streets. The cemetery office building is located on the grounds of Cemetery #1, which was the original cemetery, next to the Bay Parkway station of the F train of the New York City Subway.
The founder of Washington Cemetery, James Arlington Bennet, is buried there, as are his wife and son. Bennet was born in New York, and was proprietor and principal of the Arlington House, an educational institution on Long Island. He usually is remembered as Joseph Smith's first choice as Vice-Presidential running mate in the United States presidential election of 1844, before Smith was assassinated. His surname is misspelled on his headstone, which reads, "Author of Bennett's Book Keeping & Other Works. Founder of Washington Cemetery."
Cemetery #1
Cemetery #1 is shaped like a pentagon, and bordered on three of its sides by major Brooklyn streets: Ocean Parkway, Bay Parkway, and McDonald Avenue. The main entrance and cemetery office building are on Bay Parkway just off McDonald Avenue. The interior of Cemetery #1 is crisscrossed by paths called Rose Avenue, Hyacinth Avenue, Jasmine Avenue, Aster Avenue, Lotus Avenue, and Evergreen Avenue. It has numerical posts from number one to number one hundred and forty-nine "A" (1–149A), sections marked "ranges". It has "society" sections, and burials are still occurring. It houses the majority of the mausoleums and larger monuments. It is also the cemetery that in December 2010 sustained the majority of overturned and broken headstones because of vandals. Approximately 200 headstones were overturned and are still not upright. Although there are concrete walkways, grave markers are very closely positioned in some areas, and visitors are sometimes forced to walk on grass.
Cemetery #2
Cemetery #2 is located across from Cemetery #1 and the office building. It is triangular, bounded on two of its sides by major thoroughfares - McDonald Avenue on the northeast and Bay Parkway on the northwest - and has four exits and entrances. Cemetery posts are numbered 150 to 237. It also is crisscrossed by paths, and houses society sections. Its named paths are Cedar Avenue, Maple Avenue, and Cypress Avenue.
Cemetery #3
Cemetery #3 is located across Bay Parkway directly across from Cemetery #2. It is bounded by Bay Parkway on its southeast and 21st Avenue on its northwest. It has five entrances and exits, and numbered posts from 231 to 333. Its named paths are Orange Avenue, Sycamore Avenue, Spruce Avenue, Aspen Avenue, and Balsam Avenue.
Cemetery #4
Cemetery #4 is directly across 21st Avenue from Cemetery #3, bounded by 21st Avenue on its southeast and 20th Avenue on its northwest, and has numbered posts are 334 to 462. It has five entrance and exits, and paths named are Walnut Avenue, Ash Avenue, Tulip Avenue, Iris Avenue, and Pine Avenue.
Cemetery #5
Cemetery #5 is directly across Cemetery #4, and bounded by 20th Avenue on its southeast. Its numbered posts run from 464 to 519. Oak Avenue, Magnolia Avenue, Arcadia Avenue, and Birch Avenue are its named paths. It has sections with four numbers on its west side.
List of Societies in Washington Cemeteries
(partial list)