Old Gravesend Cemetery
Why it's listed
Old Gravesend Cemetery is a small burial ground of 1.6 acres in southeastern Brooklyn, entered from Gravesend Neck Road. It marks the site of the southwest quadrant common ground of Gravesend, a town founded in 1645 by Lady Deborah Moody and her Anabaptist followers. Gravesend was the first English-speaking settlement in the Dutch colony of New Netherland, held a charter naming a woman among its patentees, and followed a formal plan of a walled center with wedge-shaped farm strips. The burial ground existed by 1658, when a will provided money for a fence. It holds graves of many original patentees and their descendants, along with Revolutionary War militia officers such as Rutgert Van Brunt, Rem Williamson and Joost Stillwell. Brownstone headstones carry Dutch and English inscriptions, some with carved winged angel heads. The Van Sicklen family keeps a separately fenced plot in the northwest corner. The cemetery is regarded as the principal surviving remnant of the early planned community.
Significance in brief: It is the most significant remaining site tied to Gravesend, founded in 1645 by Lady Deborah Moody and her Anabaptist followers. Gravesend was the first English-speaking settlement in the Dutch colony and had an unusually early planned town layout. The cemetery holds graves of original patentees, their descendants and several Revolutionary War militia figures.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80002635, listed September 17, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Gravesend Neck Rd. and MacDonald Ave., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Brooklyn |
| Listed | September 17, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80002635 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as fair; many headstones are broken or damaged by weather and vandalism, and periodic clean-ups by the Gravesend Historical Society help maintain it. Owned by the City of New York. |
| Acreage | 1.6 |
| Coordinates | 40.59471, -73.97450 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80002635.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7084131
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.