Prospect Cemetery
New York, Queens County, New York
Marker Inscription
Original Jamaica town burying ground, established 1660. Egbert Benson born 1746 died 1833, buried here. First Attorney General N.Y. State. State Education Department 1936
The Story
When Dutch and English settlers laid out the town of Jamaica on western Long Island in 1660, they set aside this ground to bury their dead — making it one of the oldest cemeteries in what is now New York City. Among those interred here is Egbert Benson (1746–1833), a Revolutionary-era statesman who served as the first Attorney General of New York State and later sat in the Continental Congress and the U.S. House. The marker, placed by the State Education Department in 1936, ties a quiet colonial burying ground to the men who helped build the early republic.
Why it matters
A single plot of ground here spans the arc from a 17th-century colonial settlement to the founding generation that framed New York's and the nation's earliest governments, preserving the memory of an often-overlooked architect of American law.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- South Street Seaport Museum10.7 mi away · 12 Fulton Street
- Hall des Lumières10.8 mi away · 49 Chambers Street, New York, NY
- 81 Leonard Gallery10.9 mi away
- Small Editions10.9 mi away · 60 Sackett Street, Brooklyn, NY
- Bureau10.9 mi away · 112 Duane Street
- Gerben Fine Art11.0 mi away
Attractions
- Brooklyn Flea10.2 mi away
- Brooklyn Bridge10.4 mi away
- Brooklyn Heights Promenade10.4 mi away
- Kayak Brooklyn10.4 mi away
- Brooklyn Heights Promenade10.5 mi away
- Bloody Angle10.5 mi away
Food & drink
- Maman12.3 mi away
- Bluestone Lane12.4 mi away
- Sweetgreen12.4 mi away
- Yaso12.4 mi away · 30 Hudson Street, Jersey City, NJ
- Semicolon Cafe12.4 mi away
- Krispy Pizza12.4 mi away · 33 Hudson Street, Jersey City, NJ
Places to stay
- Holiday Inn Express10.9 mi away · 126 Water Street, New York, NY
- Hotel Indigo10.9 mi away · 120 Water Street, New York, NY
- The Wall Street Hotel11.0 mi away · 88 Wall Street, New York, NY
- Hyatt Centric11.0 mi away · 75 Wall Street, New York, NY
- Radisson Hotel New York Wall Street11.0 mi away · 52 William Street, New York, NY
- Holiday Inn11.0 mi away · 51 Nassau Street
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
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Related people
- · Egbert Benson
Related events
- · Founding of the Jamaica town burying ground (1660)
Themes & tags
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