Boston Adventure Part #1

As you know, I've been away visiting my daughter and family in New York.  It's always an exciting time when I go to see them...

A few days after I arrived, my daughter Susan and I headed to Farmingham, Mass. to spend some time with grandson Owen who is away at school.

We arrived at our hotel in Boston in the dark. Hard to figure out where you are when you can't see!!

However... when I went down to breakfast on the following morning I was amazed to see an old, I mean a very, very old, cemetery across the street. People were milling about, gravestones were being pointed out by tour guides and I am thinking, 'what is over there that draws so many people?' No clue...

While Susan checks us out of the hotel I use that small frame of time to wander over. Here is what little I learned and I have got to put a return trip to Boston on my bucket list!!

Granary Cemetery is the 3rd oldest cemetery in Boston. You gotta remember Boston was right in the midst of the founding of our country so naturally people would have lived and died there early on in our history. This cemetery was founded in 1660 and there were already 2 cemeteries full by then. Well, I guess those folks had a hard time living back in those days and many of them died very young.

I walked through a beautiful gate where I was offered a guide book to the gravesites but I had no hand to hold it with. Bummer. And, really little time so I just wandered around. The gate was of Egyptian Revival style designed by the Boston architect Isaiah Rogers (1810-1849) (*see, I told you they died young back then.)

The gravestones were lined up in straight lines, very close together and I learned that the stones had been lined up that way and may not be above the original grave.

A large obelisk dominated the area and had the name FRANKLIN engraved on it. Benjamin Franklin is buried in Philadelphia so it's not for him. Once the stones of his parents and other relatives buried in this cemetery deteriated, this large granite monument was erected to replace what was lost.  It was erected and dedicated in 1827.

I snapped a quick photo of a couple tombs of people I have no idea who they were but I thought the stones were pretty.  click on the picture to better read inscriptions.

Several signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried here as is Paul Revere. I didn't find his tomb but did discover this plaque in his honor.

And, I found the tomb of Samuel Adams... how neat was that!!

Oh I wish I had had more time and could have spent hours just wandering around looking at everything. Maybe next time.