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


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