10. Peter Stuyvesant’s Grave
Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch governor of New Netherlands is buried beneath St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, one of the most allegedly haunted spots in New York City. The current site of St. Mark’s was previously occupied by Bouwerie chapel, a private chapel built for the Stuyvesant family on their farm. When Stuyvesant died at the age of 80 in 1672, he was interred below the family chapel. Stuyvesant and generations of his heirs that followed are entombed in the Stuyvesant vault.
Though the marker on Stuyvesant’s grave dates to the early 20th century, the vault within dates to his death in the 1600s. While you can’t literally touch this relic, you can still see the physical vestiges of the old Stuyvesant chapel in the orientation of the current church. St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, consecrated in 1799, faces South, as the original Stuyvesant chapel did, even though this is at odds with the City’s current grid, which grew north to meet it.
To visit some of these sites for yourself and to learn more about colonial NYC history, join Untapped Cities for an upcoming Remnants of New Amsterdam Tour!
Remnants of New Amsterdam Tour
Next, check out 10 NYC Streets from the Original Dutch Colonial Street Grid and The Top 7 Oldest Buildings in Manhattan
