From actors, to musicians, to industrialists, Staten Island has had its share of famous residents. Here are a few that chose to make Staten Island their final resting place.
Antonio Meucci | via Wikipedia
Antonio Meucci
Meucci was the nineteenth-century Italian American credited by some with being the original inventor of the telephone, a feat usually attributed to Alexander Graham Bell. He was friends with Giuseppe Garibaldi, one of the founders of modern Italy, and let Garibaldi reside at his house while he was in exile in Staten Island. Today, Meucci’s house operates as a museum, and he appears to be buried on its grounds.
Ichabod Bennet Crane | via Wikipedia
Ichabod Crane
Ichabod Bennet Crane served in the United States Marine Corps and Army between 1809 and 1857. He fought valiantly in the Black Hawk War of 1812, the Second Seminole War, and the Patriot War, ultimately attaining the rank of Colonel. He is related to author Stephen Crane but is most famous for being the inspiration for Washington Irving‘s title character in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Crane is buried in the Asbury Methodist Cemetery on Staten Island.
Joseph Papp | via Find A Grave
Joseph Papp
Joseph Papp is most well known for founding the New York Shakespeare Festival in 1954, which has become known as Shakespeare in the Park. Papp secured a location in Central Park for the production to call home. Today, Papp’s legacy remains with annual productions at the Delacorte Theater in the summer and at the former Astor Library throughout the year. When Papp died in 1991, he was buried in the Baron Hirsch Cemetery on Staten Island.
Cornelius Vanderbilt | via Wikipedia
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt, more commonly known as Commodore Vanderbilt, was born on May 27, 1794, on Staten Island. One story says that Cornelius started on the road to riches by borrowing $100 from his parents to buy a sailing barge. With that one boat, he started ferrying people and freight between Staten Island and Manhattan, the humble beginnings of what would become a thriving steamboat business. In 1838, he took over the Staten Island Ferry, the iconic ferry service that still operates today. Vanderbilt donated land to the Moravian Church and cemetery in New Dorp, and the Vanderbilt mausoleum there holds his remains as well as those of seven of his relatives. The gated section of the cemetery is considered to be haunted, and people have reported seeing strange lights and a man in a gray suit, said to be Cornelius Vanderbilt himself.
