Pillars & Foundations

Old Burial Ground, Lynnfield, Massachusetts Also known as Lynnfield Centre Cemetery , this burial ground has Revolutionary War veterans amongst those interred. The location is picturesque, cornered between the town center, a stone's throw from an old meeting house, shadowed by towering white pines, and on the edge of wetlands, this site is quintessential rural New England. As a visitor you can't help but look at it and imagine how settlers in the recent past laid down their roots in a raw, wild environment. The challenges they must have faced, and yet they strived to create these dignified monuments to their forbearers surrounded by the rugged lands they hoped to tame. Today, just over a couple centuries later, the frenetic energy of greater Boston envelops it while allowing this town to maintain its quaint, traditional beauty. Somewhat surprisingly, there isn't a lot written about this location, at least not something easily searchable on the internet. The leads w...

Old Burying Ground, Stoneham, Massachusetts On a recent walk to escape the confines of the home amidst the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, I set out specifically to walk by this cemetery. I've been disappointed repeatedly that I'm not allowed to enter the grounds and get a closer look, however clearly this is to protect these stones, which largely are in excellent condition. Apparently some of them are quite ornate . This site is on the National Historic Register, hopefully I'll catch it one of these days when it is open. If so, I'll be sure to update this with the close up shots of some headstones. The Old Burying ground was said to be once in the town center of Stoneham, with a meetinghouse nearby. However today most of the construction around it is likely somewhat contemporary and the current town center is a few blocks away. Stoneham's website lists the cemetery as having veterans from 4 military conflicts, as well as other prominent historical figures ...

Porter's Burial Ground, Danvers, Massachusetts On another one of my weekend walks I stopped into Danver's town center, did some exploring and took a break for a drink. While wandering around I came upon Porter's Burial Ground , which is also known as High Street Cemetery. This cemetery is the resting spot for veterans of several wars including the French & Indian War, Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, and the Spanish-American War.  Information on some of these older cemeteries is actually quite extraordinary. People have taken time to catalogue graves, photograph them, and occasionally write some details about the individuals. Sites such as Findagrave, and Gravematter provide links to these. Next time I am in a cemetery with history such as this, I really should take time to do research while I'm there. In a google search to find discussion points for this posting I came across one interesting story about a lost Revolutionary War Grave of Army P...

Jacobs Family Cemetery, (Revolutionary War Cemetery) Peabody, MA My second posting of 2020 is another spontaneous, unplanned post, and only my second post entirely dedicated to a cemetery. I was walking on the Independence Greenway which connects Peabody to Middleton with two fantastic, long rail trails. On the eastern most portion, parallel to Lowell Street, I could barely make out this tiny gravesite in the woods. With a marsh in between the bike/walking path and the tiny overgrown lot, there is not an obvious pathway to access, and I'm divided on whether this is a good or a bad thing. I found a trail through the forest off of the rail-trail, followed it and found that ultimately it led far behind where the cemetery should be. Exasperated, I decided to take care of this winter day and head through the dead leaves and bramble, knowing that thankfully it would be too cold for ticks and that the poison ivy was dormant (and from the vines on the trees, there's plenty of it!)...