Mount Olivet Cemetery is located in the Maspeth neighborhood of

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Named for

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

Mount of Olives The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet ( he, הַר הַזֵּיתִים, Har ha-Zeitim; ar, جبل الزيتون, Jabal az-Zaytūn; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also , , 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jeru ...

, it was incorporated in 1850 under the

Rural Cemetery Act The Rural Cemetery Act was a law passed by the New York Legislature on April 27, 1847, that authorized commercial burial grounds in rural New York state. The law led to burial of human remains becoming a commercial business for the first time, re ...

of 1847. Originally established as an Episcopal cemetery, that restriction was lifted in 1851. The land that comprises the cemetery was acquired from George Fash and the estate of James Waterbury. It was later purchased in 1878, which brought it to today's total of 71 acres. It was a popular weekend destination in the 19th century and is known for its views of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. On the cemetery grounds is the Robert J. Marks Post #560

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

Lot, on which is located a

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

memorial dedicated "to the Defenders of the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

". 25 Civil War veterans and seventeen wives are buried in the lot. In addition to one of the founders, former U.S. Congressman James Maurice, the cemetery is also home to

Georges V. Matchabelli Prince Georges Vasili Matchabelli ( ka, გიორგი მაჩაბელი) (July 23, 1885 – March 31, 1935) was a Georgia (country), Georgian perfumer. A nobleman and diplomat, he emigrated to the United States after the 1921 Red Army ...

Helena Rubinstein Helena Rubinstein (born Chaja Rubinstein; December 25, 1870 – April 1, 1965) was a Polish and American businesswoman, art collector, and philanthropist. A cosmetics entrepreneur, she was the founder and eponym of Helena Rubinstein Incorporat ...

, and Legs Diamond. Civil_War_graves_at_Mt_Olivert_Cemetery_in_Maspeth_Queens,_NYC.jpg, View of Civil War graves at Mt Olivet Cemetery guarded by a statue of a union soldier

References

External links

* * * {{coord, 40, 43, 14, N, 73, 53, 46, W, type:landmark_region:US-NY_source:GNIS, display=title Cemeteries in Queens, New York Maspeth, Queens Rural cemeteries Anglican cemeteries in the United States