Bay Ridge’s tiny Revolutionary War cemetery

Narrows Avenue in Bay Ridge is a lovely expanse, lined with grand homes parallel to a breathtaking view of New York Harbor.

But at tiny Mackay Place, there’s a remnant of another era: an 18th century family graveyard.

Known as the Barkaloo (or Barkuloo) Cemetery, it’s the final resting place for the two sons of Dutch immigrant William Harmans Barkaloo and for Simon Cortelyou, all of whom fought and died nearby during the Revolutionary War’s Battle of Brooklyn.

“The Cortelyou family, who owned the land, allowed the ground to be used as a graveyard for some 60 soldiers who died during the battle,” according to The Graveyard Shift: A Family Historian’s Guide to New York City Cemeteries by Carolee Inskeep.

More Barkaloo family members are interred here; there’s one stone listing each name.

The last burial took place in 1848. But fresh U.S. flags decorate the few headstones. Someone is taking care of the dead here.

Tags: Barkaloo Burial Ground, Barkuloo Burial Ground, Battle of Brooklyn, Bay Ridge in the Revolutionary War, Brooklyn during the Revolutionary War, Cortelyou family, Narrows Avenue, New Utrecht history, Revolutionary War Cemetery