Trinity Church

On By nationalparkswithtIn New York3 Comments

Manhattan Sites Tour➢

In June 2025, I took advantage of a day off to complete the New York City National Park Service units, starting with an early subway ride to Lower Manhattan. I joined the first ranger-led tour of the day at Castle Clinton National Monument. Although I had passed through several times when it served as the security checkpoint for the Statue of Liberty ferry, this was my first true visit to the historic fort itself. From there, I walked north to Trinity Church, exploring the cemetery with the goal of finding Alexander Hamilton’s grave, before revisiting Federal Hall and continuing on to the African Burial Ground National Monument.

From the African Burial Ground, I took the subway uptown to Stonewall National Monument. This was my first visit to the site, and I spent time exploring the new visitor center, including watching the park film. Afterward, I walked through Christopher Park across the street and took photos of the exterior of the Stonewall Inn before heading home, bringing a full and meaningful day of exploring New York City’s National Park Service sites to a close.

Trinity Church➢

Standing at the intersection of Broadway and Wall Street, Trinity Church has been a landmark of Lower Manhattan for more than three centuries. The parish was established in 1697, and the current Gothic Revival church dates to 1846. Designed by Richard Upjohn, the brownstone church was once the tallest building in the United States. Today, its spire still stands out among the modern skyscrapers of the Financial District.

Although the church itself is worth a visit, I came primarily to explore the cemetery and find the grave of Alexander Hamilton. One of the most visited graves belongs to Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury. He and his wife, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, are buried side by side beneath a monument that attracts many visitors. Nearby is the grave of Eliza’s sister, Angelica Schuyler Church, whose name has become familiar to many people through the musical Hamilton.

As I continued through the cemetery, I found the grave of Albert Gallatin, who served as Secretary of the Treasury under both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. I’d visited Gallatin’s Friendship Hill in 2022. Prior to that, I’d never heard of him. I also stopped at the grave of Robert Fulton, whose steamboat developments helped transform transportation in the early nineteenth century. Together with the many other gravestones scattered throughout the churchyard, these memorials tell the story of the people who helped build New York City and the young United States.

One of the largest monuments in the churchyard is the Soldiers’ Monument, erected in 1852. The monument honors Revolutionary War soldiers who were held captive in New York City during the war and are believed to be buried in Trinity’s churchyard. It serves as a reminder that the cemetery contains not only the graves of famous individuals but also the resting places of people whose names have been lost to history.

Another memorial that caught my attention was the Astor Cross. Dedicated in 1914 in memory of Caroline Schermerhorn Astor, the cross illustrates the genealogy of Christ according to the Gospel of St. Luke. Although Mrs. Astor is associated with Trinity Church, she is buried in the Astor family mausoleum at the uptown Trinity Church Cemetery on Riverside Drive. The memorial is an interesting reminder of the church’s connections to some of New York’s most well-known families.

Manhattan Sites➢

  1. Castle Clinton NM
  2. Trinity Church
  3. Federal Hall NMEM
  4. African Burial Ground NM
  5. Stonewall NM

Location: 89 Broadway, New York, NY
Designation: National Historic Landmark
Date designated/established: December 8, 1976
Date of my visit: June 3, 2025