Cemetery sights in Boston
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Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
This is the final resting place for the most famous Concordians. Though the entrance is only a block east of Monument Sq, the most interesting part, Authors’ Ridge, is a 15-minute walk along Bedford St. You’ll find Thoreau and his family buried here, as well as the Alcotts and the Hawthornes.
Emerson’s tombstone is the large uncarved rock of New England marble, an appropriate Transcendentalist symbol.
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B
Granary Burying Ground
Dating to 1660, this atmospheric atoll is crammed with historic headstones, many with evocative (and creepy) carvings. This is the final resting place of all your favorite revolutionary heroes including Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, John Hancock and James Otis. Benjamin Franklin is buried in Philadelphia, but the Franklin family plot contains his parents.
The five victims of the Boston Massacre share a common grave, though the only name you are likely to recognize is that of Crispus Attucks, the freed slave who is considered the first person to lose his life in the struggle for American independence. Other noteworthy permanent residents include Peter Faneuil, of Faneuil Hall…
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C
Mount Auburn Cemetery
On a sunny day, this delightful spot at the end of Brattle St is worth the 30-minute walk west from Harvard Sq. Developed in 1831, it was the first ‘garden cemetery’ in the US. Maps pinpoint the rare botanical specimens and notable burial plots.
Famous long-term residents include Mary Baker Eddy (founder of the Christian Science Church), Isabella Stewart Gardner (socialite and art collector), Winslow Homer (19th-century American painter), Oliver Wendell Holmes (US Supreme Court Justice) and Henry W Longfellow (19th-century writer).
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D
Central Burying Ground
Dating to 1756, the Central Burying Ground is the least celebrated of the old cemeteries, as it was the burial ground of the down-and-out (according to one account, used for ‘Roman Catholics and strangers dying in the town’). Some reports indicate that it contains an unmarked mass grave for British soldiers who died in the Battle of Bunker Hill. The most recognized name here is the artist-in-residence, Gilbert Stuart. Sometimes called the ‘Father of American Portraiture,’ Stuart painted the portrait of George Washington that now graces the dollar bill.
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Forest Hills Cemetery
Dating to 1848, Forest Hills is a gorgeous, green cemetery that is filled with art and whimsy. It is still an active burial ground, but it also plays the role of open-air museum. The walking paths are lined with sculptures paying tribute to individuals and causes from times past, while a contemporary sculpture path winds its way around the historic gravestones, connecting then and now.
Gravestones include such famous figures as revolutionary heroes William Dawes and Joseph Warren; abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison and suffragette Lucy Stone; poets ee cummings and Anne Sexton; sculptors Daniel Chester French and Martin Milmore; and playwright Eugene O’Neill. The…
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E
Copp’s Hill Burying Ground
The city’s second-oldest cemetery – dating to 1660 – is the final resting place for an estimated 10,000 souls. It is named for William Copp, who originally owned this land. While the oldest graves belong to Copp's children, there are several other noteworthy residents.
Near the Charter St gate you'll find the graves of the Mather family – Increase, Cotton and Samuel – all of whom were politically powerful religious leaders in the colonial community. Front and center is the grave of Daniel Malcolm, whose headstone commemorates his rebel activism. British soldiers apparently took offense at this claim and used the headstone for target practice. The small plot of…
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