Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States New York State New York City Brooklyn Most Holy Trinity Cemetery

Most Holy Trinity Cemetery

A burial ground of rusting metal grave markers.

Brooklyn, New York

Added By
Allison Meier
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  Allison / Atlas Obscura User
  Allison / Atlas Obscura User
  Allison / Atlas Obscura User
  Allison / Atlas Obscura User
  Allison / Atlas Obscura User
Rusting tombstones   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
  wherearewedude / Atlas Obscura User
  wherearewedude / Atlas Obscura User
My Baba praying for her two children.   yankeefanemv / Atlas Obscura User
  wherearewedude / Atlas Obscura User
  wherearewedude / Atlas Obscura User
Night   hannahmishin / Atlas Obscura User
  wherearewedude / Atlas Obscura User
  wherearewedude / Atlas Obscura User
Rusting tombstone   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Wilson Avenue station on the L train in Bushwick overlooks a landscape of crucifixes and tombs. But it's only once you get close that you see what makes Most Holy Trinity Cemetery unique: most every grave marker is made of metal.

The cemetery dates to 1851, established by the then German Catholic congregation at Most Holy Trinity Church in Williamsburg. At the time New York City cemeteries had pushed out of the city limits, particularly around what is now the Queens-Brooklyn border. Most Holy Trinity Cemetery is right along Evergreens Cemetery and a whole cluster of burial grounds. 

The reason for the hollow tin graves was so that no one, either rich or poor, could stand above another in death. Originally there were also wood and some copper graves, although the first rotted away and the second were mostly stolen for scrap. Now there are some recent flat stone markers, but overall the 23 acres of the cemetery is a rolling landscape of rusting metal, twisted by time and vandalism. 

More photographs from Most Holy Trinity Cemetery are in Atlas Obscura's story on the burial ground. 

Related Tags

Cemeteries Death Tombs Gravestones Memento Mori Catacombs Catacombs And Crypts Graves

Know Before You Go

Take the L train to Wilson Avenue. Went exiting turn left down Moffatt Street until you reach Central Avenue. Make a left, go under the bridge, and the cemetery is at 685 Central.

Community Contributors

Added By

Allison

Edited By

jennysgreatapt, yankeefanemv, hannahmishin, blimpcaptain...

  • jennysgreatapt
  • yankeefanemv
  • hannahmishin
  • blimpcaptain
  • wherearewedude

Published

July 6, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/nycs-metal-cemetery
  • http://nycemetery.wordpress.com/2013/12/30/most-holy-trinity-cemetery/
Most Holy Trinity Cemetery
685 Central Avenue
Brooklyn, New York, 11207
United States
40.686906, -73.904941
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Evergreens Cemetery

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

New York Sign Museum

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

Ridgewood Reservoir

Queens, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Brooklyn

Brooklyn

New York

Places 241
Stories 46

Nearby Places

The Evergreens Cemetery

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

New York Sign Museum

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

Ridgewood Reservoir

Queens, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Brooklyn

Brooklyn

New York

Places 241
Stories 46

Related Stories and Lists

The True Story Behind America's Most 'Metal' Cemetery

cemeteries

By Lizzie Philip

An Introduction to America's Most Metal Cemetery

Video

By Atlas Obscura

Unique Cemeteries in New York

List

By Atlas Obscura

Related Places

  • Lipstick, flowers

    Los Angeles, California

    Marilyn Monroe's Crypt

    Her final resting place was intended to be modest and private, but the power of her popularity continues to draw visitors.

  • Copp’s Hill Burying Ground

    Boston, Massachusetts

    Tomb of the Mather Family

    The tomb of Increase Mather and his son Cotton, influential colonial ministers obsessed with the occult.

  • Genoa, Italy

    Cimitero Monumentale di Staglieno

    A stunning cemetery famous for its extraordinarily delicate & lifelike mourning sculptures.

  • Brooklyn, New York

    Minerva Monument

    A curious friendship between two inanimate ladies.

  • A beautiful tomb.

    Aguascalientes, Mexico

    Los Ángeles and La Cruz Graveyards

    Legends, sculptures, and unique tombs can be seen lurking in these connected cemeteries.

  • Bellefontaine Cemetery.

    St. Louis, Missouri

    Bellefontaine Cemetery

    The first rural cemetery west of the Mississippi is home to the elaborate tombs of St. Louis' local beer barons.

  • You can make out individual letters and portions of words.

    San Francisco, California

    Buena Vista Park Tombstones

    Gold Rush-era tombstones line the park's paths.

  • To Jane, My Wife.

    Brooklyn, New York

    The Tomb of Jane Griffith

    A heartbreaking monument showing the last morning in the life of Jane Griffith.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.