Two tiny, forgotten cemeteries sit near each other in old Astoria: one was a burying ground for the wealthy families who ran the town, and the other was for Irish immigrants who fled the famine.
Here’s a look at the history behind the graveyards, as well as a puzzling mystery about a nearby churchyard that may or may not be a burial site.
Highlights include:
• Robbers hiding their loot in a church tower
• The mystery of a man with two graves
• The discovery of human remains during a construction project
Follow the podcast on instagram @buriedsecretspodcast
E-mail the podcast at buriedsecretspodcast@gmail.com.
Pictures of hidden cemeteries in Astoria
St. George’s Church Cemetery
The Irish Famine Cemetery
Sources consulted RE: cemeteries in Astoria
Books
- The Graveyard Shift: A Family Historian’s Guide to New York City Cemeteries by Carolee Inskeep
- Munsell’s History of Queens County, New York, 1882
- The annals of Newtown, in Queens County, New York
by James Riker, 1852 - History of Long Island City, New York. by J. SKelsey; Long Island Star Publishing Company, 1896
- Queens Borough, New York City, 1910-1920 by Chamber of Commerce, 1920
Articles
- The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) · Sun, Feb 19, 1899 · Page 11
- Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Year: 1870; Census Place: Astoria, Queens, New York; Roll: M593_1080; Page: 201A; Family History Library Film: 552579
- Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York) · Sat, May 7, 1904 · Page 11 https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/555908491
- Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York) · Fri, Jun 17, 1887 · Page 1 https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/556863449
- Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York) · Sat, Jun 21, 1902 · Page 4 https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/555932624
- Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York) · Wed, Dec 28, 1887 · Page 1 https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/556996064
- The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) · Sun, Apr 9, 1899 · Page 10 https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/50420388
- The Sun (New York, New York) · Sun, Feb 19, 1899 · Page 4 https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/79105618
- Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York) · Mon, Nov 10, 1902 · Page 9 https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/555907855
- Brooklyn Evening Star (Brooklyn, New York) · Wed, Aug 13, 1862 · Page 3 https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/118125760
- Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York) · Thu, Oct 15, 1903 · Page 11 https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/555909576
- The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) · Fri, Oct 5, 1900 · Page 8 https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/50360004
- Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York) · Mon, Dec 5, 1887 · Page 1 https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/556995547
- Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York) · Thu, Jan 29, 1891 · Page 5 https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/557824177
- New York Daily Herald (New York, New York) · Sat, Feb 21, 1863 · Page 5 https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/329273622
- Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York) · Sat, Dec 26, 1903 · Page 14 https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/555934521
- The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) · Fri, Apr 15, 1910 · Page 6 https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/58335087
- Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York) · Mon, Jul 25, 1887 · Page 1 https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/556992361
- Historical Archaeology of Religious Sites and Cemeteries
Author(s): Richard F. Veit, Sherene B. Baugher and Gerard P. Scharfenberger Source: Historical Archaeology , 2009, Vol. 43, No. 1, Historical Archaeology of Religious
Sites and Cemeteries (2009), pp. 1-11 Published by: Springer Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25617539 - The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) · Tue, Jan 11, 1910 · Page 8 https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/55520065
Websites
- https://www.brownstoner.com/history/st-george-church-astoria-village/
- https://forgotten-ny.com/2020/03/van-alst-avenue-long-island-city/
- https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/irish-famine-cemetery
- https://sorabji.com/cemeteries/index/category/119-the_graveyard_of_our_lady_of_mt_carmel_church_famine_cemetery_astoria
- https://sites.rootsweb.com/~nyqueen2/cemeteries/
- https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1981308/our-lady-of-mount-carmel-catholic-cemetery
- http://www.nycago.org/Organs/Qns/html/OurLadyMtCarmel.html
- https://www.brownstoner.com/architecture/st-george-church-astoria-village/amp/
- https://www.archives.nyc/blog/2018/7/20/for-lo-these-many-years-forgotten-cemeteries-of-queens
- http://longislandgenealogy.com/QueensCem.pdf
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/141870056/cornelius-rapelye-trafford
- https://www.macaulay.cuny.edu/seminars/rosenberg09/articles/t/h/e/The_Film_Industry_in_Astoria_9fd9.html
- https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?locations=Astoria%20Studios,%20Astoria,%20Queens,%20New%20York%20City,%20New%20York,%20USA
- https://qns.com/2020/10/spider-man-comes-home-as-filming-begins-in-astoria/
- https://www.movie-locations.com/movies/s/Spider-Man-Homecoming.php
- https://forgotten-ny.com/1999/05/astoria-village-part-1-queens/
- http://www.preserve.org/gahs/histlic.htm
- https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g29837-d13998743-r574218462-St_George_s_Episcopal_Church_of_Astoria-Astoria_Queens_New_York.html
- https://www.historic-stgeorge-astoria.org/index.php/history
- http://www.interment.net/data/us/ny/queens/first-presbyterian-church-newtown.htm
- https://stmary-lic.org/
- https://www.brownstoner.com/history/queenswalk-st-marys-roman-catholic-church-in-hunters-point/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Island_Bridge
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravenswood_Generating_Station
- https://rihs.us/2020/11/12/thursday-november-12-2020-lets-explain-what-is-happening-in-ravenswood/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astoria,_Queens#Ravenswood
- https://gothamist.com/news/the-push-to-turn-nycs-polluting-peaker-plants-into-publicly-owned-solar-power
- https://www.mountcarmelastoria.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=7
- https://www.mountcarmelastoria.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31&Itemid=35
- http://www.pefagan.com/gen/queens/qmp_hal1840.htm
- https://sorabji.com/cemeteries/index/category/119-the_graveyard_of_our_lady_of_mt_carmel_church_famine_cemetery_astoria
- http://www.pefagan.com/gen/astoria/mtcarm/mtcminsc.htm
- https://newtownpentacle.com/2021/02/26/neglected-orchard/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS_General_Slocum
- https://forgotten-ny.com/2016/05/irish-famine-cemetery-astoria-village/
- https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/irish-famine-cemetery
- https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1981308/our-lady-of-mount-carmel-catholic-cemetery
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