Washington Square Arch & the Hanging Elm

New York · United States · Urban site

The park with its triumphal arch hides one of Manhattan's great secrets: twenty thousand forgotten dead beneath the grass.

The beautiful park with its triumphal arch conceals one of Manhattan's greatest secrets. Until 1825 Washington Square was a potter's field, a burial ground for the poor, the unknown and the victims of epidemics. An estimated 20,000 people still lie beneath the grass, many from the yellow fever epidemics around 1800. In the north-western corner stands Hangman's Elm, an English elm that has been here since at least 1679, one of the city's oldest living trees. Legend says people were hanged from its branches. Be honest about it: the city's parks department has itself pointed out that no archive confirms executions in this particular tree, even though hangings did take place in the area.

That has not stopped the stories. For decades visitors and residents have reported voices, whispers and cold draughts in the north-western corner at dusk. One story recurs: a woman in nineteenth-century clothing searching among the trees, a mother looking for a child buried in the potter's field. Stand still beneath the elm for a while. Twenty thousand forgotten people are resting under your feet.

FAQ

Where is Washington Square Arch & the Hanging Elm located?

Washington Square Arch & the Hanging Elm is in New York, United States.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: Nan Palmero from San Antonio, TX, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons