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1633- The Dorchester North Burying Ground is Dorchester's earliest remaining landmark. It is the burial place of some of Dorchester's most prominent founding citizens. It is also one of seven seventeenth-century burying grounds in Boston. First laid out in 1634, it is the final resting place of two colonial governors William Stoughton, who was also Chief Justice during the Salem witch trials of 1692; and William Tailer. It also contains the graves of John Foster; the first printer in Boston; minister Richard Mather; 40 unknown Revolutionary War soldiers; and three African-American slaves. Dorchester North Burying Ground is unusual because it contains examples of funerary sculpture from the seventeenth, eighteen, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries, resulting in a very interesting mix of colors, shapes and sizes. There are many fine examples of early slate gravestone art here, one of which has been removed to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. For the first two hundred years of its existence, Dorchester North functioned without embellishment of trees or floral arrangements, with fences erected periodically to keep out cattle and other animals. In 1834, Samuel Downer, who participated in creating Mount Auburn Cemetery, designed the landscaping for this cemetery. He created a system of pathways and avenues named after prominent Dorchester families. Over 400 shade trees and rare specimen trees were planted and a large number of shrubs and floral displays were also set out. Downer's efforts resulted in an arboretum-like atmosphere in this burying ground.
The Dorchester North Burying Ground (or "First Burying Ground in Dorchester") is a historic graveyard at Stoughton Street and Columbia Road in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
The burial ground was established in 1634, as the front sign reads[2] and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and was designated as a Boston Landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission in 1981.[3] The burying Ground is surrounded by a wall of concrete, with cut-out sections containing iron fencing along Columbia Road, which replaced a 19th-century decorative iron and granite fence. The original gates still provide entrance and are signified by large commemorative bronze tablets placed by the city in 1883.[4] The site contains over 1200 markers, many of early Dorchester settlers.
(National Register of Historic Places, added 1974 - District - #74000915)
Dorchester North Burying Ground, lies at the corner of Columbia Road and Stoughton street, Upham's Corner. The oldest section of the cemetery, was established in 1633 and several expansions bring the total acreage of the settlement's only cemetery for two centuries to 3.27 acres. The burying Ground is contained by a solid concrete wall, nearly 5 feet high; the wall replaced a 19th century decorative iron and granite fence. Gates from this earlier period still provide entrance to the cemetery and are marked by large commemorative bronze tablets placed by the city in 1883.
Dorchester North contains approximately 1200 markers.
The Dorchester North Burying Ground, also known as First Burying Ground of Dorchester, is a locally significant historic site due to its association with Dorchester's prominent founding citizens. The Burying Ground was established on the southern outskirts of the agrarian community. The first of the existing markers, those of Bernard and Joan Capen, were set in 1638, are now displayed in the New England Historic Genealogical Society. The next oldest and the earliest stone existing in the ancient burying grounds of Boston, is the horizontal slab belonging to Abel and Submite Clarke, 1644-1648.
Trask, William B. "Inscriptions from the Old Burial Ground in Dorchester, MA." NEHGR, vol.4 (Apr 1850).
This burying ground is locked but can be opened if you call the Cemetery Division at Mount Hope Cemetery in Mattapan at 617-635-7361. At least 24 hours notice is required and the burying ground can not be opened on a Sunday.
This cemetery is referred to as BOS.809 Dorchester North Burying Ground in the "MACRIS Survey of Massachusetts Cemeteries". It was established in 1633.