SI Marine Hospital/Quarantine Memorial Service & Tappen Park Oktoberfest – Saturday, October 17th

Staten Island Marine Hospital/Quarantine (1799-1858)

Memorial Service – Entombment – Reception

Saturday, October 17, 2009

FREE EVENT – OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

10 AM

Memorial Service Starts at:

St. Peter’s Catholic Church

St. Marks Place, S.I. NY 10301

Monsignor James Dorney & Reverend Richard Michael, Trinity Lutheran Church officiating

Caskets holding the remains of the immigrants that were exhumed from the St. George municipal parking lot will be brought into St. Peters Catholic Church courtesy of Meislohn Silvie Funeral Home and lead by the Staten Island Pipes and Drums,  Ancient Order of Hibernian’s Honor Guard for the memorial service.  Both St. Peters and Trinity Lutheran Church have a long history in the North Shore as well as the Quarantine, both Churches administered to the immigrants.

Staten Island’s unique history includes a major quarantine station – Marine Hospital – that operated from 1799-1858. Countless immigrants of all nationalities, entered into New York Harbor only to be found with infectious disease, held in quarantine at the Marine Hospital on Staten Island, died and were buried in mass graves on the compound.

During the mid 19^th century immigration through New York was considerable.  Although no complete listing survives from the Marine Hospital of inmates, Richmond County Mortality Schedule for a 6 month period from 1849-1850 shows that the majority of the 650 individuals listed were the victims of the Great Irish Hunger, other nationalities listed on the 1850’s Mortality Schedule include, Germany, England, Holland, France, Switzerland, Scotland and of course New York City, America.

The cemetery was largely obliterated in the 1950’s to make the current municipal parking lot.  A few years ago during a recent State of New York construction project at the lot, a section of the original cemetery was found intact under the asphalt as well as finding substantial scattered human remains throughout the site. The majority of these were removed and are currently held at the archeologist lab in Brooklyn.  We will bring them back to Staten Island on Saturday, October 17, 2009 where a proper entombment will be provided to them at long last.

Please join us on Saturday, October 17, 2009 for this unique opportunity to honor our ancestors and provide them a long awaited proper & dignified entombment as well as a reception in remembrance of 19th century immigration.    For further information, please contact Lynn 917-974-6180 or Bill Siaoh@aol.com.

11:30 am - 3 PM

Reception at:

Tappen Park Oktoberfest

Bay Street @ Water and Canal Street

Stapleton, S.I. 10304

Kilmeyers Old Bavarian Inn will provide an Oktoberfest Cafe.
Manhattan Distributors will supply beverages.

Music by: The ANDY COONEY Band

THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

We are here today because of those that came before us.