Old Hill Burying Ground - Concord, MA

"On this hill

the Settlers of Concord

built their Meeting House

near which they were buried

on the southern slope of the ridge

were their Dwellings during

the first winter

below it they laid out

their first Road and

on the summit stood the

Liberty Pole of the Revolution"

On the hillside overlooking Concord’s Monument Square is the oldest of the three cemeteries, the Old Hill Burying Ground. Comprised of nearly 500 graves Old Hill was the original burying ground for Concord residents after securing their settlement in 1635 (although the earliest existing stone is dated 1677).

The entrance is from Monument Square through the gate between St. Bernard’s Church and the "brick-end" house. According to local history, the burying ground was located was on land that could not be farmed, and because of its height, it was the first area to thaw in the spring. This thawing allowed for early burial of those who died during the winter and waited silently for a place in the warm earth.

Of the nearly 500 burial markers in Old Hill, the oldest belongs to Joseph Merriam who died April 20, 1677.

Of interest, is the grave of Major John Buttrick who led the fight at the North Bridge and died 16 years later, on May 16, 1791. His son, buried in the same family plot, was at the bridge as a fifer. Old Hill also contains the graves of 40 other veterans of the Revolution.

For more information visit the Old Hill Burying Ground page on the Concord City website.