Virtual

A Cemetery Is Here: The History of Cherry Lane Cemetery

Port Richmond, Staten Island

Black and white overhead view of the parking lot of 1440 Forest Avenue Plaza
Credit: Canvasback Kid Productions

Fri, October 21st, 2022

Sat, October 22nd, 2022

Sun, October 23rd, 2022

At 1440 Forest Avenue on Staten Island sits a strip mall with a 7-11, Liberty Tax, and trash that will fly in your face if you're not careful. It covers Cherry Lane Cemetery, the final resting place of 90-1,000 African Americans, including Benjamin Prine, the last enslaved person born on Staten Island. The bodies were never moved.

This virtual tour led by Heather Quinlan will include maps, photos, interviews, and a walk through the place where it is believed many of the interred were originally buried.