Explore Historic Cemeteries 

Visit one of these early American burying grounds and pay respect to lives that unfolded not so long ago.

Some of the richest history in North of Boston towns lies underground. Visit centuries-old graveyards, and you’ll find they are places to take a breath and be alive to the pivotal and everyday people mourned at the very headstones you’re standing beside. First, let’s dig into cemeteries with Revolutionary ties.

Old Burial Hill, Marblehead

Overlooking Marblehead Harbor, Old Burial Hill is equal parts historic and picturesque. Some 1,000 grave markers are packed into this circa 1638 cemetery, with 60 of them representing Revolutionary War veterans including General John Glover. It also holds the remains of a free Black man named Joseph Brown, who fought in the Revolution and owned a tavern in town.

Charter Street Cemetery, Salem

As the oldest European burial ground in Salem, founded sometime before 1637, Charter Street Cemetery is where almost a dozen important historical figures were laid to rest. They include Chief Justice of Massachusetts Benjamin Lynde Jr., who presided over the Boston Massacre trial, as well as Nathaniel Mather, the son of Increase Mather, a Puritan clergyman who influenced the Salem witch trials.

Old North Cemetery, Ipswich

When English colonists founded Ipswich in 1634, they were quick to establish Old North Burying Ground, as it was originally known. It’s thought the first person interred here was Martha Winthrop, the young wife of John Winthrop Jr., who was the son of the founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) markers will help you find the final resting places of Ipswichites who served the American cause.

Union Cemetery and Golgotha Cemetery, Amesbury

Golgotha Cemetery was Amesbury’s first burial ground, established in 1654. Beside it, another cemetery—where poet John Greenleaf Whittier is buried—is now part of the greater Union Cemetery, which started in 1663. Union Cemetery’s original parcel, however, is referred to as the “Revolutionary War Section,” with a sign displaying a list of veterans and a map.

Daddy Frye’s Hill Cemetery, Methuen

As Methuen’s oldest cemetery, Daddy Frye’s Hill is rife with town history. It’s one of the only surviving elements of Methuen’s original town center and is named for tavern owner Jeremiah Frye. Though this graveyard is closed to the public, Historic Methuen conducts tours on Patriots’ Day to highlight the Revolutionary War veterans buried here.

Delve Deeper into Historic Graveyards

Old North Burial Ground, Manchester-by-the-Sea

Visitors here are greeted by an iron gate topped with a “1661” legend, hence its other name: 1661 Cemetery. It harbors more than 400 of the area’s early settlers.

Holten’s Burying Ground, Danvers

Named for Founding Father Judge Samuel Holten, a delegate to the Continental Congress, this burial yard foregrounds his large headstone near the entrance.

Old First Parish Burying Ground, Rockport

“Here lie most of the early settlers and many of the officers and soldiers of the French and Indian, Revolutionary, and 1812 Wars,” reads the sign beside this memorial park.

Bradford Burial Ground, Haverhill

This arcadian boneyard is located at the site of Bradford’s first two meeting houses, as well as the first schoolhouse. Created in 1665, it’s where several of the town’s earliest ministers were laid to rest.

First Burial Ground, North Andover

Dating back to 1650, this site’s well-known graves include poet Anne Bradstreet, one of the colonies’ first literary figures, and several men involved in the Salem witchcraft hysteria of 1692.

Photo: Old Burial Hill, Marblehead, NewEnglandHistory1/ CC BY-SA 4.0

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This blog is an excerpt from our digital guide “250 Ways to Explore, Discover, and Celebrate North of Boston”. To view the full guide, click here.