Pretty cool. I’ve read about skull & crossbones symbols, but this is the first time I’ve actually seen one. Shame you can’t read the name on it–all I can make out is the year 1856 at the bottom.

From what I’ve read, this is a fairly rare find. I’ll have to go back and figure out where this one is located exactly; as usual, I was just wandering around without any sense of direction (which is also how I drive and grocery shop). It’s somewhat close to the 20th Street entrance to Green-Wood.

Apparently this symbolism doesn’t really mean anything all that significant. Some people mistakenly think it marks the grave of a pirate or buccaneer. There are also theories that it is a Masonic symbol. From what I can gather, it is simply intended as a reminder of our mortality.