Every time we so much as affect a toe out of Department of State , I ’ve put memorial park on our travelling itinerary . From garden - like expanses to overgrown boot mound , whether they ’re the final resting places of the well - known but not that important or the important but not that well - known , I love them all . After realizing that there are a stack of taphophiles out there , I ’m at long last place my archive of interesting tombstone to good use .
Two hundred and thirteen year ago , a life of political slights and injuries came to a head when Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr dueled in Weehawken , New Jersey , on July 11 , 1804 . Thanks to that catchy trivial Broadway melodious by Lin - Manuel Miranda , you probably love how the story ends : Burr fired a single bullet that killed Hamilton and his own political life history all in one fell swoop .
Burr made himself scarce for years after the infamous incident , fleeing the country for various locating in Europe before settling back in the U.S. under an sham name . ( In addition to killing Hamilton , Burr also had a peskytreason chargehanging over his head . ) Hamilton , however , has been fairly easy to find : For more than two one C , he ’s been resting at the Trinity Church cemetery at Broadway and Wall Street in Manhattan . And George Washington ’s right - hired man gentleman’s gentleman had quite a few visitors — especially the solar day of his funeral .
The last farewell to Hamilton was highly well attended ; it probably aid that New York CitydeclaredJuly 14 a urban center - blanket day of mourning . During the funeral procession from Angelica and John Church ’s household ( on what is now Park Place ) to Trinity Church , “ the sidewalks were foul with tearful spectators , and onlookers star down from every rooftop,”wroteHamilton biographer Ron Chernow . “ There were no hysterical burst , only a shocked stillness that deepen the gravity of the situation . ”
After a eulogy delivered by Gouverneur Morris , Hamilton ’s friend and the author of the preamble to the Constitution , Hamilton was laid to rest — but not beneath the princely grave mark that denotes his final resting place now . The big tomb , pass with an urn at each box and an obelisk in the heart , wasdonated in 1806by the Society of the Cincinnati , a Revolutionary War fraternal group of which Hamilton was President General .
It seems obelisk were a common theme for memorializing Hamilton . Another organization Hamilton belong to , theSaint Andrew ’s Society , had a 14 - invertebrate foot marble obelisk[PDF]with a flaming urn erected at the spot where Hamilton fell . Sadly , the monument was repeatedly vandalize , including by token hunters chip away pieces to add to their collections . By 1820 , it was completely gone except for a plaque . The brass ended up at a debris depot before it was eventually donated to the New - York Historical Society .
Just as the cenotaph at the duel situation slowly faded aside , so did the mourners who paid their respects at Hamilton ’s sober site . Visitors likely pick up again after Eliza Hamilton died in 1854 , but away from that , their plot of ground at the Trinity Church burial site wasmuch quieterbefore the Broadway hit .
But Alexander is n’t the only Hamilton at Trinity getting love from the populace these day . Previously forgotten to the chronological record of history , Eliza Hamilton ’s contribution and sacrifices have been lend to light in recent long time by Chernow ’s life and Miranda ’s melodic . As a outcome , she has just as many fans as her married man — if not more . “ She tends to get more gifts than he does , " trio archivist Anne Petrimoulxtold NPRin 2016 . " I think the melodious makes masses identify more with Eliza than with Alex . "
Peruse all the entries in our Grave Sightings serieshere .
Head over to ourAlexander Hamilton biographypage for more facts about his animation , including the story behind his feud with Aaron Burr and the book that urge on the Broadway showHamilton .
