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Patreon Dispatches from the Curiosity Shop 36: The Cemeteries Under Your Feet
The 20,000 bodies under Washington Square Park, a perfect triangle of cemeteries, and Spiritualism-fueled rumors of midwestern witches.
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Come along on a tour of a New York City cemetery that’s hidden in plain sight, then visit the historically spooky Wisconsin city that’s known as the Second Salem.
Curiosity Shop Show Notes:
Here are links to the sources and resources we used while researching this episode:
Links to research materials:
Washington Square Park:
- Beneath Washington Square, Forgotten Tombs Begin to Yield Their Secrets: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/07/nyregion/beneath-washington-square-forgotten-tombs-begin-to-yield-their-secrets.html
- Burial Vault Found Beneath Washington Square Park: https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20151104/greenwich-village/burial-vault-found-beneath-washington-square-park/
- Burial Vaults at Washington Square Park Belong to One of Two Churches: https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20151105/greenwich-village/burial-vaults-at-washington-square-park-belong-one-of-two-churches/
- 19th-Century Burial Vault Full Of Human Remains Discovered Near Washington Square Park: https://gothamist.com/news/19th-century-burial-vault-full-of-human-remains-discovered-near-washington-square-park
- Another Burial Vault, This One Full Of Coffins, Discovered Near Washington Square Park: https://gothamist.com/news/another-burial-vault-this-one-full-of-coffins-discovered-near-washington-square-park
- Construction Workers Find 200-Year-Old Bodies Buried Just a Few Feet Below Greenwich Village: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/new-york-bones-two-centuries-old-found-manhattan-work-crew-180957183/
- Vault Full of Skeletons Found Under Washington Square Park: https://nypost.com/2015/11/05/vault-full-of-skeletons-found-under-washington-square-park/
- NYC reburies remains of early New Yorkers in Washington Square Park: https://www.6sqft.com/nyc-reburies-remains-of-early-new-yorkers-in-washington-square-park/
- Yet Another Burial Vault Uncovered Near Washington Square Park, Comes Filled with Coffins: https://www.6sqft.com/yet-another-burial-vault-uncovered-near-washington-square-park-comes-filled-with-coffins/
- Remains of New Yorkers Found in Washington Square Park Reinterred on Park Grounds: https://www.amny.com/news/remains-of-new-yorkers-found-in-washington-square-park-reinterned-on-park-grounds/
- Green-Wood Cemetery Reburies 200-year-old Bodies Under Washington Square Park: https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2021/03/02/historical-remains-found-during-construction-reburied-in-nyc/
- Press Release: NYC PARKS REINTERS HUMAN REMAINS FOUND IN WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK: https://www.nycgovparks.org/news/press-releases?id=21817
- Tombstone Unearthed in Washington Square Park: https://gothamist.com/news/tombstone-unearthed-in-washington-square-park
- Mystery WSP Tombstone, Part II: https://gothamist.com/news/mystery-wsp-tombstone-part-ii
- Washington Square Park Tombstone Revealed: https://gothamist.com/news/washington-square-park-tombstone-revealed
- Washington Square Park: https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/washington-square-park
- Hangman’s Elm of Washington Square Park: https://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/great-trees?id=33
- SKELETONS FOUND IN WASHINGTON SQ.: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/08/02/101558808.html?pageNumber=1
- Beware of Zombies: The Grim Origins of Washington Square Park: https://www.nypl.org/blog/2011/03/10/grim-origins-washington-square-park
The Witches Triangle:
- Cult of Weird Article: https://www.cultofweird.com/paranormal/morris-pratt-institute-of-spiritualism/
- UW- Whitewater Blog: https://blogs.uww.edu/ucinfo/2018/10/29/whitewatercemeteries/
- Royal Purple News: https://royalpurplenews.com/11879/lifestyle/witches-of-whitewater-the-truth-behind-the-legend/
Further Reading:
- New York City Archaeological Repository: https://archaeology.cityofnewyork.us
- Guidelines for Archaeological Work in New York City: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/lpc/downloads/pdf/2018_Guidelines%20for%20Archaeology_Final_high%20res.pdf
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