The Ancient Burying Ground is just a block or two from my apartment. The city has grown up around it, so it is surrounded by tall buildings, the hustle and bustle of city life, horns honking, sirens blaring. (I call Hartford the City of Sirens. Honestly. I’ve lived in several big cities and I’ve never heard as many sirens as I do here. Even in Manhattan.)
I visited another graveyard much like this one last year. I’m fascinated by these sacred places, by the stories that the old and crumbling headstones tell. The Ancient Burying Ground was in use from 1640 to 1803. It was also used as a grazing pasture for horses, cattle and sheep. As in England at the time, graves were dug and people buried, not in family plots, but anywhere a space could be found. As the numbers grew, people were buried on top of each other. Eventually, a church was built on the land – over many graves – but this was the custom in England, where many were buried within churches and that was considered an honor.
What I find remarkable is that this plot of land has over 6000 graves. Only a few headstones have survived. I imagine most people couldn’t afford a headstone.
The church you see is Center Church, erected in 1807. It replaced the original church, which was built in 1636.
That obelisk honors the founders of Hartford.
I love the carving on the stones. As is often the case, many of the stones commemorate women who died young, most likely in childbirth.
This story is especially poignant.
Here lies a young man who died at the age of 29 in 1803. He drowned in the Connecticut River. (Note the spelling of drowned at the time – drownded.)
Then you look to the left of the stone, and you see this:
His son, just a baby when the father drowned, died 3 years later. What a terrible loss for Eliza Watson.
As you stand there in the cemetery, birds chirp and fly among the headstones, trees are in bloom, grass grows.
I had no idea, as I took these photos, that there were 6000 people interred in the grounds.
You can read more about the Ancient Burying Ground here.
A little bit of Hartford for you.
Happy Thursday.
Very interesting. Great photos too.
WOW… I love old cemetaries. I belonged to a Civil War Roundtable for many years, and we toured cemetaries quite a bit.
Claudia – these pictures are beautiful and what a story they tell… So much history lies in that sacred ground.. Thanks for the tour – the trees in bloom are just gorgeous.. Have a good day, Francine
Claudia, I can feel your reverence for this sacred place. Thank-You so much! -Judy A-
Thanks for sharing. It is so interesting. What a feat to make it to what even we would consider “old age” at that time without modern medicine.
I love wandering old cemetaries. thanks for sharing!
Beautiful headstones…so restful and calming with that flowering tree and church spire! There is a lot of history here. Interesting tour…thanks! ;)
I love seeing the old cemeteries. We have one at the end of our road…the founders of this little area where we live are buried there, and they started the cemetery with the remains of a son-in law who died in the Spanish American war.
I wonder if they have duplicated past head stones, they are in remarkable condition. Ours are very worn here…could be the difference in the material used to carve them too I suppose…or the elements and weather conditions over time. Our’s are not as pretty as these. Some are very crudely made.
I do love seeing them.
what a beautiful post! I am fascinated by graveyards and old headstones. I love the stories they tell and the ones we have to wonder about-thank you for sharing your visit with us!
Very interesting! Lots of unique headstones.
Judy
What a lovely, peaceful resting place–thank you for sharing it.
I love old cemeteries as well, especially since I am into genealogy. However I can’t hep but feel that some of those headstones are replacements for the original as they look so new and are not worn away.
I too like viewing old headstones..Though some of them make me feel a little sad..like the children and young women gone to soon..Such a beautiful, peaceful place..Thank you for sharing it with us Claudia..Hugs..
I love old cemeteries, they are so thought provoking. I remember going to a really old one in Kalamazoo when I was taking a Death, Dying and Bereavement course. Hugs to you sister,
Mere
I steer clear of cemeteries. lovely post but the hair on the back of my neck stands up when I look at tombstones, headstones and crypts.
Beautiful blue sky day though wasn’t it?
Very interesting! Your photos are beautiful Claudia, thanks for sharing.
Fascinating places, graveyards. So many stories, so many questions. I enjoy wandering through old cemeteries, reading the headstones.
Hi Claudia, I live near Hartford and I didn’t know about this cemetery. It is very interesting all the history there. thank-you, Doris
I’ve always felt that old cemeteries were comfortable places to walk through. We went through one in east TN once where two slabs of stone were angled together over the grave, like a tent. The dates were 1700s but I’ve never seen them like that in any other cemetery. Have you? The one you show with the table of stone over the grave is unusual. I’m sure this ancient burying ground would be awe inspiring in the winter with snow on the ground too.
This was a sweet post, Claudia.
Very interesting, Claudia – thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing this. In high school I received lots of awards regarding history,. Unfortunately I’ve forgotten most of it but I always enjoy reading about our early immigrants and settlers.
Blessings,
Betsy
What beautiful photos, Claudia! I love walking through an old churchyard and reading the tombstones. I imagine the lives of the people who are buried there. Lovely post.
This is pretty remarkable! I like to visit cemeteries with ornate headstones. The ones you showed here and beautiful. Show the care and love their family had for them. One thing that amazes me is how well kept they are. Thank you for sharing this with us.