The Sailors’ Snug Harbor Cemetery was originally part of the Sailors’ Snug Harbor Retirement Home campus (now called Snug Harbor Cultural Center) on Staten Island, NY and later became separated from the campus when the property around it was sold for residential development (Randall Manor) in the late 1920s. There were approximately 6,500 Merchant Mariners interred at the Cemetery during Sailors’ Snug Harbor years of operation (1833-1976). In 1976, the SSH Retirement Home was closed and its campus & buildings were sold to the City of New York and then used for the Snug Harbor Cultural Center. However, the SSH Cemetery was not sold and is still owned by the Trustees of Sailors' Snug Harbor. The Cemetery was closed and is not open to the public.

The Cemetery is located a few street blocks south of the Snug Harbor Cultural Center Campus, next to Allison Pond Park (corner of Brentwood Ave & Prospect Ave), and has a large red brick wall around it which blocks the view of the cemetery grounds. The Cemetery’s old main entrance gate is near Prospect Ave at the end of a driveway next to a private residence and is locked. There is no Cemetery signage. Sadly, the Cemetery is devoid of gravestones or markers except for the 15 gravestones which were removed to prevent vandalism. FindAGrave members should not request photos of gravestones at this Cemetery. The few removed gravestones were badly eroded with no readable information on them and some were stored in various SSH buildings basements and some other locations. In the past, metal grave markers where also used and they rusted away over time. In the future, the Descendants of SSH Mariners hope to raise money to purchase a Memorial Monument to honor all of the SSH Mariners and work with the Trustees of Sailors Snug Harbor to place it in the Cemetery.

Sailors' Snug Harbor has an interesting history. It was one of the first large scale retirement facilities in the United States. It was founded by the Randall family whom were New York City Sea Captains and Privateers during the French Indian War and American Revolution. Alexander Hamilton was a friend of the Randall Family and their Attorney. He helped write the Robert Richard Randall Will in 1801 that created the Trust of Sailors' Snug Harbor which still exists today and helps Merchant Mariners with financial assistance.

The Descendants of SSH Mariners are working on a project with SUNY Maritime College Library to research the lives of the ten thousand forgotten Mariners whom resided at Sailors’ Snug Harbor