History and architecture
This small graveyard is what remains today of the early burial ground of the Sephardic Jewish congregation, Shearith Israel. It was established on this site in the Seventeenth Century and thus represents one of the oldest cemeteries within the City. Handsome headstones are here interspersed by marble sarcophagi with simple flat-slab tops. One little monument is surmounted by a small pyramidal stone cap. The unique quality of this small plot lies not only in the simplicity of its early tombs but in its forgotten aspect, surrounded by houses - a reminder of our earliest history.
The fact that some little fragments of the past do yet remain in this City gives to them an unusual importance. The openness these cemeteries provide among buildings and their great antiquity make them treasured relics in our midst.
Sources and further reading
This history comes from the Landmarks app’s historical catalog. Names and building uses may reflect the period described.