Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Cemetery, Religion, Site

Location

Seton Hall (R), The Bronx, NY 10471, USA

Lat/Long

40.91264, -73.907454

Grant Recipient

Sisters of Charity of New York

Sitting amidst the campus of the College of Mount St. Vincent, is a cemetery reserved for the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul, who are, as described on their website, “a community of Roman Catholic women” and “involved in varied ministries and for all in need, especially those living in poverty.” The cemetery is tucked away within the rolling hills and campus buildings overlooking the Hudson River; interred within are Sisters who dedicated their lives to serving others as members of missions across the fields of education, health and childcare. Sometimes referred to as the “Sisters of Charity Cemetery”, the burial place was established CA. 1860 following the purchase of the property by the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul.

Though initially operating a female seminary and motherhouse on the land that would become Central Park, then known as McGown’s Pass, the Sisters relocated in the 1850s when the City purchased the property to be included in the Park. (Maria Alma, “Foundations of Catholic Sisterhoods in United States 1850”, 1941, p. 230).  Soon after, the Sisters found a suitable location to rebuild: the former estate of famed actor, Edward Forrest, on Font Hill. The estate provided a stunning view of the Hudson, and the building meant to serve as Forrest’s abode remains a central part of the campus as an administration building and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places along with three other buildings on the campus.

After purchasing the property in 1856, the Sisters set about a number of projects including the construction of a motherhouse and other buildings between the years 1856 and 1859. Though a few Sisters lived on the property while construction was underway, the ministry did not relocate in earnest until 1859, at which time they began operating an academy on the property. The academy grew throughout the 19^th and 20^th century, eventually becoming the College of Mount St. Vincent in 1911, which continues to operate on the site today.

It was around this time the Mount St. Vincent Cemetery was established. Though there are Sisters buried there who passed away prior to 1860, those Sisters were interred at another burial ground, Old Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, and then reinterred at Mount St. Vincent once the first Sister, M. Joachim Delahunt, passed away at the new property at Font Hill in 1860 and created the need for an on premise burial ground.

Though initially forced to relocate, the Sisters soon returned to Central Park but in a different capacity: staffing and operating the St. Joseph Military Hospital, which, following the written request of Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, served as a hospital and home for wounded Union Soldiers throughout the American Civil War. Here, Members belonging to the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul helped wounded soldiers recover from the injuries suffered from combat.

Though the cemetery is very uniform and orderly, the Sisters who served as nurses during the Civil War can be noted by their markers, which were provided by the Quartermaster General of the United States Army. Five Sisters buried in Mount St. Vincent Cemetery served as military nurses during the American Civil War.

As of 2022, the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul continue to operate missions serving in education, child and healthcare. This historic marker commemorates the service—and history behind that service—of those members of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul interred within Mount St. Vincent Cemetery.