Are you wondering whether the Granary Burying Ground in Boston is a graveyard worth visiting? In Boston on a business trip, I skip out during a lunch break to find Boston Common, which happens to be the closest historic site near my particular venue. Boston Common, with 50 acres and walkways along with green space, seems like the Central Park of Boston of sorts; here are plenty of kids running around, and workers on lunch breaks, and tourists, and students. But I don’t feel like I am getting a glimpse of historic Boston until I discover the Granary Burying Ground, which is just beyond the northeast part of Boston Common and next to the Park Street Church.
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Of course, Boston Common isn’t just any old park; created in 1634, Boston Common has a rich history serving as a green for the feeding of cattle. Today, it is stop number 1 on the Freedom Trail, a three-mile path of historic sites between Boston Common and Bunker Hill that help visitors understand events that led to the American Revolution (and quite a few during and after).
What is the Granary Burying Ground?
The Granary Burying Ground is a small graveyard in Boston named for a granary that once stood where, today, the Park Street Church stands.
What Patriots Are Buried in the Granary Burying Ground?
In some measure, the inhabitants of the Granary Burying Ground are like a “who’s who” of early American history. Here we find the graves of Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and the victims of the Boston Massacre. In 1770, British soldiers still occupied Boston, and a mob of people threw sticks, snowballs, and the like at the soldiers. The British soldiers retaliated by shooting into the crowd, and five people were killed and others injured. Some called for the prosecution of the soldiers, some of whom were acquitted while others were found guilty of manslaughter. In any event, the Boston Massacre triggered greater calls for the exit of British from the colonies.
Photo credit: L. Tripoli.
Also interred in the Granary Burying Ground are John Hancock and Robert Treat Paine, both of whom signed the Declaration of Independence. James Otis, a name perhaps more of us should recall, is here as well. Otis, a lawyer, argued against writs of assistance, general search warrants that allowed the British wide-ranging authority to search homes for smuggled goods. Otis purportedly developed the phrase, “Taxation without representation is tyranny.”
Photo credit: L. Tripoli.
Peter Faneuil, who donated the meetinghouse named Faneuil Hall to Boston also is buried at this old Boston graveyard. He died in 1743, well before the American revolution. Also present is a memorial to the parents of Benjamin Franklin. Plenty of other historical figures are buried here, too.
Where Is the Granary Burying Ground?
The Granary Burying Ground is at 96 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 20108.
What to Expect When Visiting the Granary Burying Ground
Step through the gates of the Granary Burying Ground and be transported to American revolutionary times. Names both highly familiar, as well as ones that might not be recalled so readily, are here.
Walkways make touring through the cemetery a bit easier, and signs explain portions of the graveyard’s history and that of its inhabitants.
It’s a little spooky in that, today, it is surrounded on three sides by buildings, so visitors feel a bit enclosed. At the same time, this seems to be a popular destination for school field trips, and the presence of children running around a bit can be disconcerting. It’s great that kids are learning some fairly important American history, but it would be even better if some of them behaved a bit more respectfully.
Photo credit: L. Tripoli.
For Bashful Adventurers
Grave rubbings are not permitted here.
Signage along the paths within the graveyard provide historical context for some of the people buried here.
This is a good graveyard to visit if you are new to cemetery tourism. It is relatively small and plenty of other visitors tend to be there whenever it is open.
Interested in more historic graveyards in Boston? Check out the Central Burying Ground, which is located on Boston Common.
Granary Burying Ground, 96 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 20108
Central Burying Ground, Boylston St. (between Tremont and Charles Streets), Boston, MA 02116
—Lori Tripoli
Lori Tripoli is the editor and publisher of Bashful Adventurer. Based in the New York City vicinity, she writes about travel for a variety of publications.
Contact Lori at loritripoli@bashfuladventurer.com.
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