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On the hillside overlooking Concord, Massachusetts' Monument Square is the oldest of the 3 cemeteries, the Old Hill Burying Ground. With nearly 500 graves, the earliest existing stone is dated 1677. Old Hill was the original burying ground for Concord residents after securing their settlement in 1635. The entrance is from Monument Square through the gate between St. Bernard's Church and the "brick-end" house. This site, on a prominent glacial esker, was adjacent to the original location of the First Parish Church.
It was on land that could not be farmed, and because of its height, it was the first area to thaw in the spring. This thawing allowed for early burial of those who died during the winter and waited silently for a place in the warm earth.
Of the nearly 500 burial markers in Old Hill, the oldest belongs to Joseph Merriam who died April 20, 1677. An interesting grave site at the very back belongs to John Jack, a former slave who died in 1773. His stone is noteworthy for a poem-like epitaph concluding that John Jack "practiced those virtues without which kings are but slaves." There are many others. Young Orpah Bryant, for example, died in 1798 after only one year but is remembered as being "the joy of her father and the delight of her mother." Of interest, is the grave of Major John Buttrick who led the fight at the North Bridge and died 16 years later, on May 16, 1791. His son, buried in the same family plot, was at the bridge as a fifer. Old Hill also contains the graves of 40 other veterans of the Revolution. It is said that Colonel Smith and Major Pitcairn, British commanders on that lively day in April, 1775, chose the Old Hill site as their command post, and from there witnessed what would be the beginning of the end of British rule.
"Town of Concord and its Historic Cemeteries"
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The United States is one of the most diverse countries on earth, jam packed full of amazing sights from St. Patrick's cathedral in New York to Mount Hollywood California.The Northeast region is where it all started. Thirteen British colonies fought the American Revolution from here and won their independence in the first successful colonial rebellion in history. Take a look at these rolling hills carpeted with foliage along the Hudson river here, north of New York City.The American south is known for its polite people and slow pace of life. Probably they move slowly because it's so hot. Southerners tend not to trust people from "up north" because they talk too fast. Here's a cemetery in Georgia where you can find graves of soldiers from the Civil War.The West Coast is sort of like another country that exists to make the east coast jealous. California is full of nothing but grizzly old miners digging for gold, a few gangster rappers, and then actors. That is to say, the West Coast functions as the imagination of the US, like a weird little brother who teases everybody then gets famous for making freaky art.The central part of the country is flat farmland all the way over to the Rocky Mountains. Up in the northwest corner you can find creative people in places like Portland and Seattle, along with awesome snowboarding and good beer. Text by Steve Smith.
