Rumney Marsh Burying Ground facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Rumney Marsh Burying Ground
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Butler St. at Elm and Bixby Sts., Revere, Massachusetts |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Architect | Lamson, Joseph |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000025 |
| Added to NRHP | February 11, 2004 |
The Rumney Marsh Burying Ground is a very old cemetery in Revere, Massachusetts. You can find it on Butler Street, between Elm and Bixby Streets. This special place was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. This means it's recognized as an important historical site. It was the very first burying ground for the area that is now Revere, and also nearby towns like Chelsea and Winthrop.
Contents
A Place with a Long History
This burying ground has a long and interesting past. The land first belonged to a person named Samuel Cole. Later, in 1654, William Hasey bought it. His family then sold it to Joshua Cheever in 1740.
How the Burying Ground Started
Joshua Cheever and the town of Chelsea (which Revere was part of back then) made an agreement in 1743. They decided the land would be used as a burying place. Cheever officially gave the land to the town in 1751.
Before this burying ground was created, people living in the area had to bury their loved ones in Boston's Copp's Hill Burying Ground.
The First Burials
In 1690, a serious illness called smallpox spread through Boston. City officials told people living north of the Charles River to bury victims "on that side of the Water." This means some of the first burials at Rumney Marsh might have been people who died from this illness. The very first burial that was officially recorded was Mary Smith in 1693. The last person buried here was in 1929.
Important People and Stories
The Rumney Marsh Burying Ground is special because of the people buried there. It includes the graves of sixteen Black individuals. Some of these people were free, and some were enslaved. An old map from 1897 helps us know where some of them were buried.
Honoring Their Memory
Two plaques on the northern wall of the cemetery list the names, death dates, and ages of these individuals. They also include some names of the people who enslaved them. Most of these graves are along the northern wall. However, three people — Job Worrow, Betty Worrow, and Fanny Fairweather — are buried in the southeast corner. Job Worrow was a soldier in the American Revolutionary War.
Even though their graves don't have markers today, Fanny Fairweather was said to have had a monument. It reportedly said: "Fanny Fairweather, died 1845, age 80, a native of Africa."
Art on the Gravestones
Since many people were buried here in the 1700s, the cemetery shows off the art of that time. Many of the gravestones are made of slate and feature cool designs. You can often see a skull and wings carved into them.
Famous Stone Carvers
Some gravestones were made by famous carvers. For example, two stones were carved by Joseph Lamson (1658-1722). These are the gravestones of Mary Cutler (who died in 1703) and Deane Winthrop (who died in 1703 or 1704). Deane Winthrop was the son of John Winthrop, a very important governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. You can also find work by other stone carvers like Robert Fowle and Richard Adams here.
Notable Burials
Many interesting people are buried in this historic cemetery:
- Deane Winthrop: He was the son of John Winthrop, a governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Deane Winthrop's old house, also a historic site, is nearby in Winthrop.
- Phillips Payson: He was known as the "fighting pastor" and was a hero in the Battle of Lexington during the American Revolution.
- Sixteen enslaved and free Black people: Their stories are an important part of the cemetery's history.
- Veterans: Soldiers from many wars are buried here, including the Colonial, Revolutionary, 1812, and Civil Wars.
