Old Burial Hill Cemetery

Old Burial Hill Marblehead, MA

Old Burial Hill Cemetery in Marblehead, Massachusetts came highly recommended by many folks whose travel suggestions I hold in high regard. Not that that matters because after visiting Salem I had completely forgotten about those recommendations. Luckily, as we were leaving the area, I thought to look at the FindAGrave app. I spotted the name ‘Old Burial Hill’ and instantly recognized it as somewhere I remembered looking up previously. I’d have definitely been bummed to miss out on this beauty!

Old Burial Hill Cemetery was established in 1638. It’s one of the oldest graveyards in New England. Surrounded by gorgeous old homes, on top of a rocky hill, overlooking the Atlantic, it basically could not be any more picturesque. The headstones are all beautifully preserved, and in incredible shape for their age. Nearly every one of them covered in symbolism. Skulls galore!!! Will I ever get over the excitement of skulls on headstones? I think not.

Aside from the hot sun relentlessly beating down us, our visit couldn’t have been more lovely. It seemed like every time I turned around there was something super awesome that caught my attention. I was especially fond of how close the houses were to the graveyard. One house, in particular, stands out in my mind it had a kitchen window that looked directly out onto the cemetery. Taking photos of headstones near it felt weird because it was THAT close.