Washington Square Renovation Uncovers Graves
In the course of conducting soil testing during the renovation of Washington Square Park, archaeologists discovered the skeletal remains of four people. Some adjustments will be made to redesign plans, but the skeletons will be left in place as a gesture of respect for the dead.
The unplanned discovery of dead bodies in the park was not a complete surprise. Washington Square served as a potter's field, where the indigent of New York City were buried, for several decades--from 1797 to 1826. In 2005, a lawsuit was filed to halt any changes to the square, claiming that it would disrespectful to the approximately 20,000 people buried there. That argument was overruled, considering the city turned the graveyard into a public park in 1827 and ran Fifth Avenue straight through it.
Human bones were found during at least three prior excavations of Washington Square Park--including the installation of the arch and during a Con Ed project in the 1960s. In addition to being a potter's field, there may be some history of the area as a site of public executions, although the tales may be apocryphal. The more-than-three-centuries-old elm tree in the northwest corner of the square is known as the Hangman's Elm, although no concrete record of the tree being used for a hanging have been discovered. Rival tales include that section of the park as the location of a gallows where people were publicly executed.
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