Welcome to Gravesend Historical Society
About Us
Our accomplishments! in 52 years!
We are an historical preservation society which was formed in 1972 by Eric J. Ierardi president and founder and David G. Oats as Vice President. Our initial goal was to clean up and have the historical Gravesend and Van Sicklen Cemeteries declared NewYork City, State and National landmarks. Through our efforts many more sites were landmarked and preserved. We have helped educate the community by lectures, walking tours and producing a colorful historical walking tour map. A few maps are still available.
In 1979 we orchestrated the twinning of both Gravesend Brooklyn with Gravesend England. Ceremonies were held on both sides of the Atlantic.
Preserving sites
The Coney Island Parachute Jump ,the Cyclone Ride, the Elias Hubbard Ryder Home, the Samuel Hubbard Home and finally, The Hicks-Platt Van Sicklen - Lady Moody Home and The Gravesend and Van Sicklen Cemeteries were declared landmarks through our efforts with the community's support.
Thank You
The community of Gravesend Brooklyn must continue to be vigilant! Help from the Boy Scouts and school groups in cleaning up has been of tremendous help.The Parks Dept. of NYC and its Brooklyn Commissioner Marty Maher are undertaking a major renovation of the cemeteries. Thank You so very much!
