Moore-Jackson Cemetery

The Moore-Jackson Cemetery was declared as NYC Landmark in 1997. It is located at 31-30 to 31-36 54th Street in Woodside, Queens.

The Moore-Jackson Family Burial Ground was established in 1733 on the farmland of Samuel Moore, son of Reverend John Moore who was the first minister of Newtown. He was a member of the prominent Moore family whose members settled on Long Island in 1652.

In 1684, Samuel Moore built a farmhouse on the property – which stretched from the East River to Bowery Bay Road. It is believed that this site was the birthplace of the famous ‘Newtown Pippen Apple.’

During the time of the Revolutionary War, the farm was owned by Nathaniel Moore, Samuel’s son, and a loyalist. Later, John T. Jackson took over the property by marrying a ‘Moore’ and that’s when the burial ground was deemed “Moore- Jackson.” It was during the Civil War that the last recorded burial took place there.

In 1901, the farmhouse was demolished after being vacant for many years. In 1919, the property was surveyed and it was discovered that it contained forty-two graves. The WPA cleared out the land and arranged the remaining headstones in 1936.

After a great deal of work by historic preservationists and community activists, the site was finally declared a New York City Landmark in 1997.
It is currently owned by the Queens Historical Society and maintained by the Moore-Jackson Cemetery Revitalization Project grassroots volunteer group.
For more information on how to visit or get involved, please click on the image below.