Maple Grove Cemetery is a historic

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

at 127-15 Kew Gardens Road in Briarwood/

Kew Gardens, Queens Kew Gardens is a neighborhood in the central area of the New York City borough of Queens. Kew Gardens is bounded to the north by the Union Turnpike and the Jackie Robinson Parkway (formerly the Interboro Parkway), to the east by the Van Wyck Exp ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2004. __NOTOC__

History

Maple Grove is a 65-acre cemetery established in 1875 on the "Backbone of Long Island" by Colonel William Sterling Cogswell and business associates. It consists of two sections; Monumental Park and Memorial Park. The Victorian Era Monumental Park was the first section opened in 1875 and laid out in the

rural cemetery A rural cemetery or garden cemetery is a style of cemetery that became popular in the United States and Europe in the mid-nineteenth century due to the overcrowding and health concerns of urban cemeteries. They were typically built one to five ...

tradition with panoramic winding roads through a forest covered hilly terrain, with the original entrance at

Queens Boulevard Queens Boulevard is a major thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Queens connecting Midtown Manhattan, via the Queensboro Bridge, to Jamaica. It is long and forms part of New York State Route 25. Queens Boulevard runs northwest to so ...

. The Lodge Building, located at the Queens Boulevard entrance, and the Receiving Tomb were erected in 1875. The Victorian Administration Building was erected in 1880 at the Lefferts Boulevard and Kew Gardens Road Entrance. All were designed by noted New York City architect

James E. Ware James Edward Ware (1846 – April 14, 1918) was an American architect, best known for devising the "dumbbell plan" for New York City tenement housing. He was born in New York City in 1846, and studied at the City College of New York. He began h ...

(1846–1918). ''See also:'' The Memorial Park section was opened in 1943. The Lodge was torn down and the original Queens Boulevard Entrance was moved further south on

, next to Briarwood subway station (). Memorial Park's Presidential Circle includes a memorial to the 21 people interred at Maple Grove who died in the 2001 terrorist attack on the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

. There are approximately 83,000 interments, with approximately 30,000 of them in the Monumental Park section. In Memorial Park the new Center at Maple Grove building, designed by architect Peter Gisolfi, was opened in 2009. The Maple Grove offices were moved from the old Victorian Administration Building into the Center. It also houses the Celebration Hall, Community Room, the Columbarium etc. A third entrance was created next to the Center on Kew Gardens Road at 129th Street.

Friends of Maple Grove

The Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery, Inc. is a not-for-profit, membership organization with the purposes of supporting and enhancing the operations of Maple Grove Cemetery, located in Kew Gardens, Queens, New York. Friends members desire to increase public knowledge and appreciation of the artistic, historical, horticultural and cultural resources of the Cemetery. The Friends promotes ties between Maple Grove Cemetery and the community it serves and sponsors a variety of programs and activities.

Notable interments

LaVern Baker Delores LaVern Baker (November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997) was an American R&B singer who had several hit records on the pop chart in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were "Tweedle Dee" (1955), " Jim Dandy" (1956), and "I ...

(1911–1997), rhythm-and-blues singer * Albert H. Bosch (1908–2005), member of the US House of Representatives *

Martin Branner Martin Michael Branner (December 28, 1888 – May 19, 1970), known to his friends as Mike Branner, was a cartoonist who created the popular comic strip ''Winnie Winkle''. Early life Branner was born in Manhattan, New York City on December 2 ...

(1888–1970), cartoonist *

George W. Corliss Captain George Wilhelm Corliss (1834 – May 15, 1903) was an American soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Corliss received the country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for his action during the Battle of Ced ...

(1834–1903), soldier, Civil War Congressional

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient * Leslie Kaliades (1961–1999), artist known for her photography about her experience with AIDS * Anthony Mason (1966–2015), basketball player *

Irving Rapper Irving Rapper (16 January 1898 – 20 December 1999) was a British-born American film director. Biography Born to a British Jews, Jewish family

(1898–1999), film director *

Jimmy Rushing James Andrew Rushing (August 26, 1901 – June 8, 1972) was an American singer and pianist from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., best known as the featured vocalist of Count Basie's Orchestra from 1935 to 1948. Rushing was known as " Mr. Five by ...

(1901–1972), singer * George Coles Stebbins (1846–1945), gospel hymn writer *

Fred Taral Frederick J. "Fred" Taral (August 2, 1867 – February 13, 1925) was an American Hall of Fame jockey. Jockey career Taral began his career in racing in the 1880s at small racetracks in Oklahoma. In 1883, he rode his first competitive thorough ...

(1867–1927), U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey *

(1846–1918), architect * Edward Wright, (1829–1901), sailor, Civil War Congressional

recipient *

Vincent Youmans Vincent Millie Youmans (September 27, 1898 – April 5, 1946) was an American Broadway composer and producer. A leading Broadway composer of his day, Youmans collaborated with virtually all the greatest lyricists on Broadway: Ira Gershwin, Ot ...

(1898–1946), songwriter

References

External links

* * {{National Register of Historic Places in New York Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in New York City 1875 establishments in New York (state) Cemeteries in Queens, New York Kew Gardens, Queens National Register of Historic Places in Queens, New York Historic districts in Queens, New York Cemeteries established in the 1870s