Old Burial Hill Cemetery

I thought it would be fitting to blog on a lovely old Pilgrim cemetery during the month of November for everyone to enjoy. While I have always thought it one of the most popular and well known resting places, I was recently surprised to find not too many had heard of Old Burial Hill Cemetery in MA.

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The Old Burial Hill Cemetery at Marblehead, Massachusetts is one of the oldest burying grounds in New England, having served the residents of that town since 1638. It is also the site of the first Meeting House at Marblehead, where several of the early pastors are buried. Burial Hill was actually named Fort Hill until 1698. The very first burial here was 1622; it was actually more than one, all of whom who passed during the long journey on the mayflower winter of 1621. Obviously there are numerous unmarked burials, as in the early days graves were marked by simple stones or wooden markers and crosses, which deteriorated long ago. The earliest date to be found on gravestones l is that for Mrs. Mary Lattimore, who died 8 May 1681, aged 49 years. The majority of interns are pilgrims; Mary Allerton Cushman being oldest Mayflower passenger at age 83, interned at Burial Hill. Many prominent historically and locally relevant pastors are interned here; Rev. William Walton, Rev. William Whitwell, Rev. Ebenezer Hubbard, Rev. John Barnard and and Rev. Samuel Cheever.

Many of these burial causes of death are recorded as at the ferry. With regard to deaths in Marblehead, "at the Ferry" usually refers to deaths by smallpox, whose victims often were sent to the ferry boat to try to recover, the majority in which died there.

While there is a lot of wear and tear at Burial Hill, it is natural erosion. This cemetery is well preserved and a mainstay tourist attraction. At the top of Old Burial Hill stand several older monuments which have been enclosed in granite in order to preserve them, which is a great idea.Burial Hill is quite picturesque, and chock full of those unique New England style Headstones and motifs as well as the the lovely old English style wording and phrases.