OId First Parish Burying Ground, Rockport, MA

Old First Parish Burying Ground, Rockport, MA

This post is a bit of a departure from my typical posts about churches or faith centers of communities, however these burying grounds are also deeply meaningful for the communities in which they reside, and are also very much pillars and foundations.

This particular cemetery is incredibly picturesque just outside of the unique seaport of Rockport MA with its fishing shacks turned art galleries, its sleepy coves with hidden beaches, and its meandering streets saturated with history and atmosphere.



I love this golden moss contrasting on the headstones and the yellowed grass of autumn. When I took these photos it was still warm enough that there were some people swimming at the beach across the street. I can't recommend Rockport enough to anyone visiting Massachusetts. This cemetery is a hidden gem, just outside the main business district, and anyone with the means and initiative should definitely walk around the busy little tourist attraction of Rockport, that still manages to hide vestiges of serenity with the bustle.




Dedication to unknown graves of Revolutionary War Soldiers in the Cemetary


History:


I certainly can't do the graveyard justice, however as the sign says, for the United States this is old, pre-revolution old, and it is off the typical beaten path (outside a major city) and that seems to add something. Tripadvisor has some good reviews and information. I would take the notes about the cemetary being in ill-repair with a grain of salt, the cemetery is old, and many headstones were made of cheaper slate. Cemeteries from that period pretty much universally have worn out stones and broken stones, clearly the true longevity of the monuments was probably under-estimated. Weeds? Sure, why wouldn't there be, but the weeds and the moss add to the charm. Apparently the Richard Tarr plots from 1732 ranked amongst the first settlers of Rockport.

Text and photographs by George Parks
Sources are embedded in links


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Medford, Massachusetts

Image
Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Medford, Massachusetts Pillars & Foundations was initiated as an exploration communities as well as faith through religious institutions. My intent is to share experiences, and spread the positivity that I observe. Faith centers embody a drive to make a difference which they deliver upon, regardless if it is with one person looking for hope & community, or a recipient of their expansive charitable work. I was lucky to find introductory courses available on Tibetan Buddhism at Kurukulla Center so close to me in Medford. The timing of the offerings was conveniently at 7:00 pm, leaving time to get there following work. However, I did make a special point to drive instead of riding my bike which tends to leave me in less than desirable condition to be in confined quarters with strangers. Before I get too much into details on this experience, I'd like to stress my level of ignorance of the details Tibetan Buddhism, thus ...
Read more

First Congregational Church, UCC, Melrose, Massachusetts

Image
First Congregational Church, UCC, Melrose, MA Pillars & Foundations was started as an effort to explore my surrounding communities through their religious institutions, and to share my experiences at them with my neighbors and beyond. These organizations that are both social and spiritual, leave lasting impressions on the communities that they are in, and I find in my experiences that I've taken them for granted, and I suspect I'm not alone. What strikes me what all of these institutions strive to do is make a difference, and they do, regardless if it is one person looking for hope & community, or a with recipient of their charitable work. Building & History People who pass by the low profile octagonal church in Melrose should not be fooled by the contemporary campus. This organization has a long history ( information on FCCM website ) in the community dating back to 1848. The new building was constructed in 1970 following a fire tha...
Read more

Saint Patrick Parish, Stoneham, MA

Image
Saint Patrick Parish, Stoneham, MA Pillars & Foundations documents an exploration of communities, as well as faith through religious institutions. My intent is to share experiences, and spread the positivity that I observe. The hope is to provide a window into these organizations allowing those who might not other wise venture in to appreciate these thoughtful, often intimate groups in our midst. Faith centers embody a drive to make a difference which they deliver upon, regardless if it is with one person looking for hope & community, or a recipient of their expansive charitable work. Building & History St Patrick Parish has a very different feel depending on which angle you are observing it from. The view above is the traditional front of the flower shaped window gives the feeling of a country parish. In spite of Stoneham's close proximity to Boston, their are still portions of the town that are very quaint, leafy and idyllic. Not far from a picturesque Ne...
Read more

Saint Athanasius Parish, Reading, MA

Image
Saint Athanasius Parish, Reading, Massachusetts I intend to explore and experience the services of many different churches, predominantly near where I live in Massachusetts. Discovering all of these different faith communities builds my knowledge of the neighborhoods around me and the people who live there. These institutions are important, often overlooked and even misjudged centers of our communities that seek to make a positive impact on their participants, as well as others through their generosity and public service. It is possible that through this activity I may eventually consider a long term relationship with one of these pillars and foundations of the community, however I am eager to do a lot of exploring first. History & Building I was pleased to find that Saint Athanasius has an excellent write-up on their web page about their parish history. The parish is fairly new when compared to many I have visited, establishing in 1960, and their unusual, modern ch...
Read more

National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, Attleboro, Massachusetts

Image
National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, Attleboro, Massachusetts Pillars & Foundations documents an exploration of communities, as well as faith through religious institutions. My intent is to share experiences, and spread the positivity that I observe.  Reflecting on my 2018 Journey Prior to discussing Our Lady of La Salette further, please humor me as I reflect. This blog has documented a year long journey that has taken me to over 50 different churches, shrines, temples and faith centers. Most of these I was privileged to attend a service and to mingle with community members. It has be a terrific experience exploring faith, religion, community, charity, and I am better off as a consequence. It is fitting that I write about the shrine of La Salette in Attleboro as my experience touring the lights in 2017 with my wife, drinking hot chocolate, warming ourselves by a fire, watching a candle light procession of Silent Night at a manger, and seeing families experi...
Read more