THE GHOSTS OF WASHINGTON SQUARE
A walk in Washington Square Park is a treat for Ella Shane and her friends, and for many New Yorkers today. But they may not know what – or who – is under those lovely stone paths.
Yes, who.
Like many very old cities, New York started as a tiny settlement on the water and grew from there. It wasn’t unusual for communities to bury the dead on the edge of town, especially in the case of an epidemic. But for New York, of course, the edge of town kept moving up. And up.
So, the place that was a useful Potter’s Field for the thousands of people who died from yellow fever around 1800 became a prime site for a park half a century later.
At the time, in the late 1820s, the idea of just building the park over thousands of dead New Yorkers was actually sold as a public good: turning it into a beauty spot instead of a “hot bed of miasma.” The idea of moving the bodies wasn’t a possibility – those folks had expired from a nasty disease within living memory, and nobody wanted to risk that again.
If that feels a little disrespectful, it’s worth remembering some things: first, people were a bit harder-headed about such matters before the late-Victorian cult of death. Just as important, most of the dead didn’t belong to anyone who would, or could, fight for them. The city fathers’ grandparents were buried in nice churchyards somewhere else, thank you very much.
Still, people didn’t immediately forget that their tony park had once been a graveyard. There are stories from later in the 19th century of a blue mist hovering over the ground at night. The scientifically-minded said it was some kind of miasma from all the remains beneath. Other folks might suggest it was something else…and I’m not going to argue with them.
Even now, the place has a special energy.
And even now, work crews find the occasional New Yorker.
Now, though, they do get treated with a good bit more respect. Just recently, in early March, remains that had been found between 2008 and 2017 were re-interred in the park. A Brooklyn cemetery prepared the remains and the coffin, and the city held a brief ceremony, complete with officials paying respects and local media covering the event.
More, the City placed a stone near the Sullivan Street and Washington Square Park South entrance, explaining the history of the site, and the fact that thousands of early New Yorkers have found their (hopefully) final rest there.
That newfound respect for the early dead is well over a hundred years in the future when Ella and the cast take their strolls. In fairness to our friends, they would not have been born when the park was built, and likely would simply accept it as given.
Though it’s entirely possible that the blue mist will appear in a future Ella Shane adventure. Nor would I be surprised if her Aunt Ellen, who claims the Second Sight, picked up a feeling from the park.
I certainly do, though I have no psychic gift. It’s not easy to put into words, but there’s just a vibe. You know that the past is very present, and you’re not alone.
Not your usual walk in the park.
Got a #ThrowbackThursday idea? Drop it in the comments.
Yes, who.
Like many very old cities, New York started as a tiny settlement on the water and grew from there. It wasn’t unusual for communities to bury the dead on the edge of town, especially in the case of an epidemic. But for New York, of course, the edge of town kept moving up. And up.
So, the place that was a useful Potter’s Field for the thousands of people who died from yellow fever around 1800 became a prime site for a park half a century later.
At the time, in the late 1820s, the idea of just building the park over thousands of dead New Yorkers was actually sold as a public good: turning it into a beauty spot instead of a “hot bed of miasma.” The idea of moving the bodies wasn’t a possibility – those folks had expired from a nasty disease within living memory, and nobody wanted to risk that again.
If that feels a little disrespectful, it’s worth remembering some things: first, people were a bit harder-headed about such matters before the late-Victorian cult of death. Just as important, most of the dead didn’t belong to anyone who would, or could, fight for them. The city fathers’ grandparents were buried in nice churchyards somewhere else, thank you very much.
Still, people didn’t immediately forget that their tony park had once been a graveyard. There are stories from later in the 19th century of a blue mist hovering over the ground at night. The scientifically-minded said it was some kind of miasma from all the remains beneath. Other folks might suggest it was something else…and I’m not going to argue with them.
Even now, the place has a special energy.
And even now, work crews find the occasional New Yorker.
Now, though, they do get treated with a good bit more respect. Just recently, in early March, remains that had been found between 2008 and 2017 were re-interred in the park. A Brooklyn cemetery prepared the remains and the coffin, and the city held a brief ceremony, complete with officials paying respects and local media covering the event.
More, the City placed a stone near the Sullivan Street and Washington Square Park South entrance, explaining the history of the site, and the fact that thousands of early New Yorkers have found their (hopefully) final rest there.
That newfound respect for the early dead is well over a hundred years in the future when Ella and the cast take their strolls. In fairness to our friends, they would not have been born when the park was built, and likely would simply accept it as given.
Though it’s entirely possible that the blue mist will appear in a future Ella Shane adventure. Nor would I be surprised if her Aunt Ellen, who claims the Second Sight, picked up a feeling from the park.
I certainly do, though I have no psychic gift. It’s not easy to put into words, but there’s just a vibe. You know that the past is very present, and you’re not alone.
Not your usual walk in the park.
Got a #ThrowbackThursday idea? Drop it in the comments.
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