We’ve all seen the occasional newspaper article about an old, rundown cemetery that’s about to be spruced up because the ravages of time, and the heartlessness of vandals, have taken their toll. But if the cemetery is in Boston, chances are the tale is a bit more intriguing than it might be somewhere else, at least for those with a love of early-American history.
Take the case of the Granary Burying Ground, which is in line for a face-lift. For one thing, it's 351 years old. That means it had been around for well over 100 years by the time the United States came into being in 1776. And then there’s the list of people who are buried there: Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and John Hancock, among other founding fathers.
The Boston Globe reported this week that the city will soon launch a two-month, $300,000 campaign to refurbish the cemetery, which is on the city’s famed Freedom Trail. The plan calls for wider paved paths, new observation areas, a new path behind Revere’s grave and new fencing.
The Granary Burying Ground was established in 1660 in what was then part of the Boston Common, but that doesn't make it the oldest cemetery in the city. In fact, it was created because, by 1660, the nearby King’s Chapel Burying Ground had become overcrowded.
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