A few steps down Main Street, past the library and the sports store, you will find a hidden piece of history on your left: South Burying Place. This graveyard is a small, yet historical piece of Concord that contains the graves of town founders, Revolutionary War veterans, and many other notable individuals. It is an often-overlooked piece of the town.
South Burying Place (also known as the Main Street Burying Place) was created as a part of Sleepy Hollow Graveyard, the larger burial ground at the end of Main Street. Separated from Sleepy Hollow Graveyard by a small river, South Burying Place was constructed because of the superstition that caskets should not be carried across a river. Though small in size, South Burying Place contains about 300 historical graves, many up against the back wall, as much of the graveyard was destroyed by a large flood in 1938. Some of the graves are newer versions of the originals or have been slightly restored, while many others are unreadable. All graves are faced east to catch the rising sun, and the grounds have blended seamlessly with the classic Main Street view.
Many of the graves date back to the Revolutionary War or before, the earliest being that of Margaret Wood (1585-1659). One of the most famous graves is that of Nathaniel Billings (1600-1673), who sailed from England and settled in Concord. As his grave reads, he was “One of the earliest settlers in and supposed to be one of the Founders of the Town of Concord.” Billings lies near Lt Simon Davis (1636-1713), who fought for the British in King Philip’s War, and Dr. Joseph Lee (1680-1736), who was a surgeon in the Queen’s Navy. One of the biggest monuments belongs to John Hosmer (1732-1856), who fought in the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Many graves, like that of Hosmer, bear an American flag and plaque to recognize their status as war veterans.
In addition, there are around two dozen graves belonging to members of the Barrett family, who were early settlers of Concord, served under the British Military, and later fought in the Revolutionary War. Colonel James Barrett’s house still stands as a historical landmark on Barrett's Mill Road, and the Barretts were an influential family in both Concord and American history.
South Burying Place is often left unnoticed when compared to the many other memorials around Concord, but it is full of history nonetheless. Every grave has a story surrounding the creation of this country, making it Concord’s number one hidden gem.