Copp's Hill Burying Ground

Copp's Hill Burying Ground
Copp's Hill Burying Ground
Copp's Hill Burying Ground is located in Massachusetts
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°22′2″N 71°3′23″W / 42.36722°N 71.05639°W / 42.36722; -71.05639Coordinates: 42°22′2″N 71°3′23″W / 42.36722°N 71.05639°W / 42.36722; -71.05639
Built: 1659
Governing body: Local
NRHP Reference#:

74000385

[1]
Added to NRHP: April 18, 1974

Copp's Hill Burying Ground is a historic cemetery in Boston. It was originally named "North Burying Ground".

Contents

History

The cemetery was founded on February 20, 1659, when the town bought land on Copp's Hill from John Baker and Daniel Turell to start the "North Burying Ground". Now named "Copp's Hill Burying Ground" (although often referred to as "Copp's Hill Burial Ground"), it is the second oldest cemetery in Boston (second only to the King's Chapel founded in 1630). It contains the remains of various notable Bostonians from the colonial era.

The first extension was made on January 7, 1708 when the town bought additional land from Judge Samuel Sewall and his wife Hannah. The land was part of a pasture which Mrs. Sewall had inherited from her father, John Hull, master of the mint.

Benjamin Weld and his wife Nabby sold the second extension to the town for $10,000 on December 18, 1809 soon after they had bought it from Jonathan Merry, who had used it as pasture. Ten years later, Charles Wells, later mayor of Boston, bought a small parcel of land from John Bishop of Medford and used this as a cemetery that was later merged with the adjacent North Burying Ground. Because of this complicated history, it is no longer possible to discern the original boundaries of the cemetery.

On the Snow Hill Street side are the many unmarked graves of the African Americans who lived in the "New Guinea" community at the foot of the hill. In addition to the graves there are 272 tombs, most of which bear inscriptions that are still legible.

By 1840 the cemetery had fallen into near disuse but the town continued to maintain the site intermittently. By 1878 it was badly neglected. The cemetery was not an official stop on the Freedom Trail when it was created in 1951 but it has since been added and is much-frequented by tourists and photographers. The site was added to the National Historic Register in 1974.

View of Copp's Hill Burying Ground, 1895

Notable burials

See also

  • List of cemeteries in Boston, Massachusetts

References and external links

Images


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Copp's Hill Terrace — U.S. National Register of Historic Places …   Wikipedia

  • Copp's Hill — A Freedom Trail sign on Copp s Hill with the Skinny House in the background Copp s Hill is an elevation in the historic North End of Boston, Massachusetts. It is bordered by Hull Street, Charter Street and Snow Hill Street. The hill takes its… …   Wikipedia

  • King's Chapel Burying Ground — Der King s Chapel Burying Ground 2006 Die …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Granary Burying Ground — Grabreihen auf dem Granary Burying Ground Der im Jahr 1660 an der Tremont Street gegründete Granary Burying Ground ist der drittälteste Friedhof der Stadt Boston im Bundesstaat Massachusetts in den Vereinigten Staaten. Dort sind viele bekannte… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Granary Burying Ground — Details Year established 1660 Country United States …   Wikipedia

  • Bunker Hill Monument — National Register of Historic Places National Historic Landmark Bunker Hill Monument, 2009 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • North End, Boston — North End   Neighborhood of Boston   Image of the North End, Boston neighborhood. The Old North Church is at center, a Big Dig vent bu …   Wikipedia

  • North End, Boston, Massachusetts — Boston s North End is the city s oldest residential community, where people have lived continuously since it was settled in the 1630s. Though small (⅓ mi²), the neighborhood has approximately 100 eating establishments, and a variety of tourist… …   Wikipedia

  • Skinny House (Boston) — Infobox Historic building caption=The Skinny House in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts, is an extremely narrow four story house reported by the Boston Globe as having the uncontested distinction of being the narrowest house in Boston.… …   Wikipedia

  • Boston Common — National Register of Historic Places National Historic Landmark District Boston Common 2005 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”