Burial Hill

Updated June 11, 2025

## Burial Hill, Plymouth: Walking Through Four Centuries of New England History

Quick links on this page:
– History of Burial Hill
– Planning your visit to Burial Hill

Burial Hill on School Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts is far more than an old cemetery. It’s a 5.1-acre hill that combines Pilgrim history, early New England gravestone art, and wide views over Plymouth’s harbor and historic streets. Established as a burying ground in the 17th century and listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places since 2013, it’s one of the key stops for anyone serious about understanding Plymouth beyond Plymouth Rock.

Set just behind Plymouth’s Town Square and the First Parish Church, Burial Hill rises about 165 feet above sea level. Paths weave between more than 2,000 marked graves, with inscriptions and symbols spanning from the 1600s to the mid-1900s.

—

## History of Burial Hill

### From fort and meeting house to official cemetery

Before it was a cemetery, this slope was known as Fort Hill. The Mayflower settlers built their first defensive fort and meeting house on the summit around 1621–1622, using the height for a clear line of sight over Plymouth Harbor and the approaches to town.

The earliest burials of the Pilgrims took place nearby at Cole’s Hill in the winter of 1620–1621, where many of the people who died in that first devastating season were interred. Cole’s Hill is now a National Historic Landmark just above Plymouth Rock.

Burial Hill became Plymouth’s first official cemetery in 1622. South Rivers Watershed The earliest grave markers were wooden and have not survived; the oldest known stone today is that of Edward Gray, dated 1681. Plymouth

For decades, the fort on the summit doubled as a meeting house for the colony and its congregation until 1677. After the fort was dismantled, some of its timbers were reused in the Harlow Old Fort House, a historic home still standing nearby on Sandwich Street.

### Burial Hill and the Wampanoag homeland

Long before Plymouth Colony, this landscape formed part of the homeland of the Wampanoag people, whose sachem Massasoit entered into an alliance with the newcomers in the 1620s. Without Wampanoag knowledge of local resources and their early support, many historians note that the English settlement might not have survived its first years. South Rivers Watershed

When you visit Burial Hill today, it’s worth holding both histories together: the story of the English colonists and the much older story of the Indigenous communities whose land this was and is.

—

## Layout, atmosphere, and what to expect

Burial Hill sits just west of Main Street and at the upper end of Leyden Street, which is widely regarded as the oldest continuously inhabited street in what became the United States.

### The hill itself

Key physical details:

– Size: Approximately 5.1 acres South Rivers Watershed
– Elevation: About 165 feet (50 m) above sea level
– Graves: More than 2,000 marked graves, dating from 1680 to 1957
– Paths: Paved walkways with stairs on steeper sections; some routes are uneven or sloped

From the upper paths you get broad views of downtown Plymouth and the harbor, including rooftops, church spires, and the commercial waterfront below. South Rivers Watershed

### Atmosphere

Visitors often describe Burial Hill as quiet and contemplative, with a mix of weathered slate stones, later marble markers, family plots, and occasional monuments such as the Cushman family column.

It’s still a sacred space as well as an outdoor museum of early New England funerary art. Local organizations emphasize not touching, rubbing, or leaning on stones, because many of them are fragile and irreplaceable examples of 17th–19th century carving. Plymouth

—

## Notable graves and stories

One of the main reasons history-minded travelers climb Burial Hill is to visit the graves and monuments of figures tied to the Mayflower and early Plymouth Colony.

Documented burials and memorials here include:

– William Bradford – Mayflower passenger and long-time governor of Plymouth Colony.
– William Brewster – Elder of the Pilgrim congregation, and his wife Mary Brewster.
– Mary Allerton Cushman – Mayflower passenger and, by tradition, the last surviving passenger, buried with her husband Thomas Cushman.
– John Howland – Mayflower passenger whose life story (including nearly being swept overboard during the Atlantic crossing) is well-known in Pilgrim history.
– Francis Cooke, Edward Doty, and Richard Warren – Additional Mayflower passengers.
– Thomas Cushman – Ruling Elder of the Plymouth church, remembered by an 18th-century stone and a later 25-foot granite monument honoring the Cushman family.
– Mercy Otis Warren and James Warren – An influential writer and political thinker of the Revolutionary era and her husband, a Patriot leader.
– Adoniram Judson (cenotaph) – A prominent missionary whose memorial, while not his burial place, is part of the historical landscape on the hill.

Many stones feature classic Puritan imagery—winged skulls, cherubs, urns, willows, and long epitaphs that explored mortality and faith. Local historical groups have produced detailed handbooks and virtual tours that decode these symbols and inscriptions using examples from Burial Hill. Archive

—

## Planning your visit to Burial Hill

### Location and access

– Address: School St, Plymouth, MA 02360, United States
– Main entrance: Beside First Parish Church in Plymouth at 12 Church Street, on Town Square. South Rivers Watershed
– Additional access points:
– Walkway off Summer Street, near the John Carver Inn
– Access beside the parking garage on South Russell Street
– Staircases up from School Street South Rivers Watershed

### Hours, cost, and rules

According to regional and town sources:

– Hours: Generally dawn to dusk South Rivers Watershed
– Admission: No entrance fee; it is a public cemetery owned by the Town of Plymouth South Rivers Watershed
– Pets: Dogs are not allowed, in order to protect the grounds and stones South Rivers Watershed

> Important: Municipal rules, parking regulations, and tour schedules can change. Always verify current details on the Town of Plymouth or Plymouth Cemetery Department pages, or by using the phone number listed there, before you go. MA

### Accessibility and terrain

Burial Hill’s history is part of what makes it compelling, but it also means:

– Paths are steep in places and can be uneven.
– Access from the Town Square side involves stairs or sloped paths.
– For some wheelchair users or visitors with limited mobility, the terrain can be challenging; reviews describe it as “entirely uphill and slanted.”

If accessibility is a concern, it’s wise to:

– Call the Plymouth Cemetery Department ahead of time for up-to-date guidance. South Rivers Watershed
– Consider visiting with someone who can help navigate the slopes.
– Choose dry, ice-free conditions if possible, as New England weather can make stone steps slippery.

### What to bring

– Sturdy footwear for uneven paths and stairs.
– A layered jacket—the hill is exposed and can feel cooler or windier than streets below.
– A camera or phone for the grave art and harbor views, used respectfully.
– A small notebook if you’re tracing family history or want to record epitaphs and dates without touching the stones.

—

## Free guided tours and deeper interpretation

The Plymouth Antiquarian Society, often in partnership with Pilgrim Hall Museum, runs themed tours of Burial Hill. Recent schedules show free, in-person tours on the first Saturday of most months, highlighting different themes—maritime stories, women’s history, gravestone iconography, and archaeological findings. Antiquarian Society

They’ve also produced virtual tours and recorded talks that unpack:

– How 18th–19th century Plymoutheans commemorated their dead
– Symbolism carved into stones
– The archaeology of early Plymouth structures on and around the hill
– Stories of women, immigrants, and lesser-known residents buried here Antiquarian Society

If you’re planning a serious heritage-focused itinerary, it’s worth aligning your visit with one of these tours or watching a few recordings beforehand for extra context.

—

## Nearby historic sites to pair with Burial Hill

Because Burial Hill anchors the Plymouth Village Historic District, you can easily combine it with other major sites in a compact walking loop.

Consider pairing your visit with:

– Cole’s Hill – The first Pilgrim burying ground and later military site overlooking Plymouth Rock.
– Plymouth Rock and the waterfront – Symbolic rather than archaeologically precise, but still central to how the Mayflower story has been remembered.
– First Parish Church in Plymouth – At the base of Burial Hill, continuing the original Pilgrim congregation in an 1899 Romanesque building.
– Harlow Old Fort House – A historic house believed to incorporate timbers from the original Burial Hill fort, now interpreted as a 17th-century home.

These stops together give a fuller picture: not just where prominent individuals are buried, but how the town evolved, which structures were rebuilt, and how historical memory has shifted over 400 years.

—

## Essential facts at a glance

– Name: Burial Hill
– Location: School Street, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA
– Coordinates: Approx. 41.955852, –70.6660125 (Plymouth, MA 02360)
– Established as official cemetery: 1622 South Rivers Watershed
– Oldest surviving gravestone: Edward Gray, 1681 Plymouth
– Number of marked graves: 2,000+ (1680–1957)
– Size: 5.1 acres South Rivers Watershed
– Status: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2013
– Ownership: Town of Plymouth; managed as a public cemetery and historic site South Rivers Watershed
– Admission: Free (parking nearby may be metered or paid, depending on location; confirm locally) South Rivers Watershed

—

Key Highlights

Burial Hill

Location

Places to Stay Near Burial Hill"Worth looking at if you’re in the area with time to spare."

Find and Book a Tour

Explore More Travel Guides