Granary Burying Ground at Tremont and Park streets in Boston

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See the Cemeteries web page for an interactive location map.

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LOCATION

The Granary Buying Ground, part of Boston National Historical Park, is located near the corner of Tremont and Park streets.

MANAGEMENT AND WEBSITE

The Granary Burying Ground is owned by the city of Boston. See the Granary Burying Ground website for more information.

OPERATING HOURS

Daily from 9 AM to 4 PM

VISITING THE GRANARY BURYING GROUND

The original cemetery in Boston is what is now called the King’s Chapel Burying Ground, though it has no affiliation with the church next door. It was established in 1630 and got its current name in the mid-1700s due to its physical association with the church. When first opened, it was simply called the Burying Place. By the late 1650s it was just about full, so the city of Boston established Copp’s Hill Burying Ground in 1659. It was referred to as the New Burying Ground, and the Burying Place took on the name The Old Burying Ground.

A year later what is now called the Granary Burying Ground was opened. Of course it was now the new burying ground, not Copp’s. The two eventually took the names North Burying Ground (Copp’s) and South Burying Ground (Granary). Over time the names changed again to reflect locations and landmarks. The North Burying Ground was located on a hill once owned by William Copp, while an actual granary (a building to store grain) was built next to the South Burying Ground in 1737.

In the early 1800s the granary was moved to make way for the Park Street Church, which was completed in 1809. There is no affiliation between the cemetery and church, for the Granary Burying Ground has always been owned by the city of Boston.

There are approximately 2,345 tombstones in the cemetery, but this does not account for the estimated 8,000 people buried here. Many tombstones have been lost, and many of those that do exist aren’t even located over the proper bodies. In the early 1800s, cemeteries were becoming more like parks than places to bury a body. Many people began removing dead relatives from the Boston city cemeteries and reinterring them at fancier church- and private-owed cemeteries. To keep up with the times, in the 1830s the Boston cemeteries were remodeled with sidewalks and trees, and many of the tombstones were moved to make way for the improvements. However, the graves themselves were not moved, which means the tombstones are no longer over the actual bodies they belong to.

Tombstone for Elizabeth Fenno (died 1713) in Boston’s Granary Burying Ground

There are eight wayside exhibits placed throughout the Granary Burying Ground that point out the locations of important graves. Unfortunately, some are now outdated due to modern renovations, one of which took place in 2011. At least one new sidewalk was added, and it appears that some tombstones were moved as well, for a few of them are no longer in the same locations as shown on the exhibits. Hopefully the wayside exhibits have been updated since my visit.

Wayside exhibits detail those now resting at the Granary Burying Ground in Boston

The exhibits do, however, provide a wealth of information about the important people who are now permanent residents at the Granary Burying Ground. Not only are names mentioned, but interesting stories are told was well. Many names are no longer familiar, such as Crispus Atticus, James Caldwell, Patrick Carr, Samuel Grey, and Samuel Maverick. These are the five men who were killed at the Boston Massacre. They are all buried together at the Granary along with Christopher Seider, a 12-year-old boy who had been killed a month earlier by a Loyalist who fired a gun into an angry mob that was threatening him. Sieder is considered by some to be the very first victim of the American Revolution.

Grave of the Boston Massacre victims and Christopher Seider in Boston’s Granary Burying Ground

There are plenty of other names that every educated American should know: Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, Robert Paine, John Hancock. Others will become familiar as you walk the Freedom Trail® at Boston National Historical Park, such as Peter Faneuil, the man who built Faneuil Hall. And there are dozens of men and women who were famous in their time and may still be remembered by ardent history lovers of today.

Grave of Samuel Adams in Boston’s Granary Burying Ground

Grave of John Hancock in Boston’s Granary Burying Ground

Paul Revere actually has two grave markers. The small one that simply reads Revere’s Tomb is the original. There is an 8’ x 10’ tomb under it that now holds a number of his family members. The larger marker is from later in the 1800s, supposedly paid for by donations from school children. The two markers stand side by side.

Original Pau Revere grave marker in Boston’s Granary Burying Ground

Newer Paul Revere grave marker in Boston’s Granary Burying Ground

There is a large Franklin monument that stands out like no other in the cemetery, but this is not for Benjamin Franklin—who is buried in Philadelphia—but for his mother and father, Josiah and Abiah. The obelisk is a replacement of the original tombstone that had become so worn that it was barely readable. It was erected in 1827 and paid for by the city of Boston.

Grave of Benjamin Franklin’s parents, Josiah (died 1745) and Abiah (died 1752), in Boston’s Granary Burying Ground

Most of the tombstones are made of slate and are now nearly impossible to read due to weathering and dark mildew. The inscriptions are often still there, but it’s like trying to read dark grey ink on black paper. The fact that you must stay on the sidewalks doesn’t help matters, for you often find yourself a dozen yards away from some of the tombstones.

Example of a clean slate tombstone next to a dark slate tombstone in Boston’s Granary Burying Ground

SCHEDULING YOUR TIME

I spent an hour at the Granary Burying Ground, but depending on your interest in cemeteries, you could spend much longer. An hour gave me time to see all of the big name graves and read the information on the wayside exhibits. I don’t see spending less than a half hour for any sort of meaningful visit.

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