The Granary Burying Ground — A Boston Freedom Trail Story

[Transcript]

Welcome to the Granary Burying Ground. If it's open, let's wander into the cemetery. But please, no leaning or sitting on the gravestones. 

And they also ask that you keep off the grass. If the gates aren't open, you can still take a peek through the iron posts. So maybe the first thing you saw was the big gravestone in the middle that says Franklin. 

That is the final resting place of the parents of Benjamin Franklin, but not old Ben himself, who's buried in Philadelphia. I'll tell you more about him in a few minutes. This cemetery, along with some of the Park Street Church property and Boston Common, all sit atop what used to be a large grain storage facility, or granary, which is how it got its name. 

The granary is a who's who of the most famous patriots of the American Revolution. Folks buried here include Paul Revere and the victims of the Boston Massacre. You'll also find three signers of the Declaration of Independence. 

Robert Treat Payne, John Hancock, and Samuel Adams. The burying ground dates back to 1660, but around 1837, in the Victorian era, the headstones were rearranged into the neat rows you see today. Meaning those tombstones may not actually sit atop the remains of the person etched on the grave markers. 

So can you guess why the headstones were rearranged? Well, that's due to the invention of the lawnmower, which meant that cows and goats from the Common were no longer needed to graze here to keep the grass trimmed. But in order for mowers to take over the job, they had to be able to get in between the gravestones. With limited space to bury people, you'll see some tabletop graves here. 

Those lead down to multiple remains, or mass graves. So although there are only about 2,300 grave markers here, some say the number of bodies buried here is well over 5,000. Look around. 

Do you see any headstones with the image of a skull with wings? This symbol was a Puritan representation of the body being here, but the soul going elsewhere upon death. A triumph over death, if you will. You may also see pennies left on some of the headstones, especially on those belonging to Paul Revere. 

If you can, let's go find his spot now. You can find him in the back of the cemetery, in the middle, behind the large gravestone that says Franklin. Or just follow the blue line for Revere's headstone. 

Then press play on map marker number seven when you get there.