Kew Gardens in Queens in Queens County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Maple Grove Cemetery
The older section, Monumental Park was established in 1875 in the rural cemetery style. James E. Ware designed the administration building, entrance gate, and receiving tomb in 1880. Memorial Park was designed by George McClure in the twentieth century style and was opened in 1943. Among the honored interred are Millie Tunnell, former 111 year old slave, Ann Wilkins, one of the first female missionaries in Africa, John Sutphin, Queens politician and philanthropist, Samuel Loyd-Puzzle King, Charles Manly, aviation pioneer, Alfred Grebe, radio and broadcast pioneer and Elisabeth Riis, wife of social reformer Jacob Riis. Maple Grove was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
Erected by The Richmond Hill Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Parks & Recreational Areas • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1875.
Location. 40° 42.634′ N, 73° 49.654′ W. Marker is in Queens, New York, in Queens County. It is in Kew Gardens. It is at the intersection of Kew Gardens Road
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Regionally, this marker is in New York City. It is also in the American Northeast. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, the Western Hemisphere, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Queens Borough Hall Persian Gulf War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Church of the Resurrection (approx. 0.6 miles away); Richmond Hill Branch (approx. 0.7 miles away); Queens Valley Playground (approx. 0.8 miles away); Forest Park Centennial Pine Groves (approx. 0.9 miles away); Willow Lake Playground (approx. one mile away); Holy Child Jesus Parish (approx. one mile away); 1914 Pine Grove and the Memorial Drive Trees (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Queens.
Also see . . . National Register of Historic Places nomination form.
Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens, central Queens County, is significant for embodying the characteristics of two popular landscape design ethics for cemeteries in America. The oldest developed section of the cemetery. Monumental Park, dating from 1875, exhibits the influences of the rural cemetery movement of the nineteenth century. The aptly-named Memorial Park, opened in 1943, is a typical example of memorial park cemetery design of the twentieth century. On the grounds of Maple Grove are examples of cemetery architecture and funerary art that reflect the changing aesthetic tastes and social attitudes about death from the founding of the cemetery in the Victorian period up to the modem era. The period of significance for Maple Grove Cemetery spans from 1875 to 1947. The cemetery derives additional historical significance as the final resting place for many of the areas most prominent citizens.(Submitted on July 15, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.)
Additional keywords. landscape architecture
Credits. This page was last revised on August 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 25, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 272 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 25, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
