More Angel Hunting in the 5 Boroughs (Queens) A Calvary of Angels

Old Calvary Cemetery is one of the first cemeteries I wandered into as a young graver. It is a dizzyingly large cemetery with endless angels, 3 million about. That’s right–its 365 acres has the most interments in the entire country. And many of my pictures will show just how jam-packed it is. With stark white angels beaming in the sun’s rays, it was a fruitful afternoon of angel hunting in the borough of Queens.

I barely scratched the surface, visiting just 2 of the cemeteries 4 massive sections.

A busy metropolis goes around Calvary, but these 3 million ain’t going anywhere. I bet a slew of developers just hate that.

Established in 1848 and still active today, the grounds are a mix of styles. The place has a fascinating history steeped in Old New York. I’ll save you the trip to Wikipedia and give you some morsels here in between a ton of pictures I took.

The first interment at the cemetery was a 29-year old woman who, legends says, died of a broken heart. Her name was Esther Ennis and her headstone has some lure.

A view from one of the high points of the cemetery shows just how popular a place of final rest it is.

The cemetery boomed when the cholera epidemic paved way for the Rural Cemetery Act. The Brooklyn-Queens “Cemetery Belt” began because the dead were smelling up Manhattan.

Angels in high pressure systems

Hold on for one more day

There were many decapitated and amputated statues.

Laurel

So many winged beauties

Grief is exhausting

Manhattan views

She was my favorite.

New Long Island City skyscrapers going up

Angel convention

One for you

One for me

Nice toned arms

She’s a busy bee

I had 4 other Queens cemeteries on my list, but I ran out of light. Calvary had more than enough to satisfy my angel hankering. The most I’ve ever seen, that is. Thanks Queens.