Copp's Hill Burying Ground and Mather Tomb
Why is it significant?
Climb the stone steps into the solemn, tree-shaded sanctuary of Copp's Hill Burying Ground, the second-oldest colonial cemetery in Boston, established in 1659.
Key Facts
| Place | Copp's Hill Burying Ground and Mather Tomb |
|---|---|
| Address | 45 Hull St, Boston, MA 02113, United States |
| Geo Coordinates | 42.36680, -71.05650 |
| Part of Walk | North End, Freedom Trail and Maritime Waterfront: Colonial Heart of Boston |
| Generated | Generated |
Climb the stone steps into the solemn, tree-shaded sanctuary of Copp's Hill Burying Ground, the second-oldest colonial cemetery in Boston, established in 1659. Perched atop the highest hill in the North End, this venerable graveyard holds the mortal remains of over ten thousand early Bostonians, from prominent Puritan preachers and colonial merchants to craftsmen, free Black citizens, and revolutionary patriots.
Near the center of the burying ground stands the brick altar tomb of the Mather dynasty, interring Puritan ministers Increase Mather and his son Cotton Mather, two of the most influential and controversial intellectual leaders in early New England history who played prominent roles in the 1692 Salem Witchcraft Trials.
On the lower slope near Snow Hill Street lies the historic African Burying Ground, where more than one thousand free and enslaved Black Bostonians were laid to rest in unmarked and simply carved graves. Among them rests Prince Hall, an eighteenth-century Black abolitionist, Revolutionary War veteran, and visionary civic organizer who founded African Lodge Number 459 in 1787, establishing Black Freemasonry in America. Look closely at the slate gravestone of Captain Daniel Malcolm: British redcoats stationed here in 1775 used his headstone for musket target practice, leaving clear bullet indentations visible on the dark slate today because Malcolm had been a notoriously defiant anti-tax merchant.
From the northern parapet of the burying ground, the view across the Charles River to Charlestown and Bunker Hill is breathtaking. It was right from this high hilltop that British generals Clinton and Burgoyne directed British artillery batteries during the ferocious fighting at Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, watching the battle through spyglasses while Charlestown burned below. The weathered slate headstones carved with quaint winged cherubs and mortality symbols offer a poignant glimpse into the spiritual devotion and worldview of early colonial New Englanders.
Descend the stone stairs to Hull Street directly opposite the narrowest house in Boston.