Granary Burial Ground

An absolute must-​visit stop on the Freedom Trail. So cool to walk around and see names like Sam Adams, John Hancock, and Paul Revere. Best of all — it’s totally free to walk around there. There are many walking tours around Boston that will take you there as well, if you wish to dive deeper into the history buried there.

We came here as part of a walking tour, and it was pretty ordinary looking from what I could tell. There are a lot of tombstones and trees and grass, typical of any burial ground really. Johns Adams as well as a bunch of other famous people are buried here.

A few steps down from the Park Street Church, the Granary Burial Ground is noticeable from the flock of people venturing in and out of the metal gates that are open for visitors to walk into to explore at your own pace. We were lucky enough to have someone that did all the historical research already and put it into a information packet that was standing in front of the gates to hand us an folder which let us know which famous people were buried here and where we could find their burial plots. Definitely very interesting to walk up to each burial plot and read what is written on their tombstone and worth a visit; #3 of the Freedom Trail.
Who’s Buried Here?
1) Parents of Ben Franklin
2) «Mother Goose»
3) Paul Revere
4) Samuel Sewall
5) Peter Faneuil
6) John Hancock
7) James Otis
8) Victims of Boston Massacre
9) Samuel Adams
10) Robert Treat Paine

What a cool historic spot! I mean it is a grave yard so it’s not a happy place, but to see those who were buried there was pretty cool. It’s crazy, because there are buildings built around the graveyard and talk about building to its max. There are tombstones attached to the buildings. The actually built as far as you could go.

This burial ground is right next door to the Park Street Church. It is the burial ground for Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin’s father, Sam Adams, and Mother Goose. The bigger names all have large newish placards on them. Some of the gravesites had intricate engravings on them, while others were so old, they were simply worn stones.
The maps posted around the cemetery were totally useless. I pulled up my trusty Unilocal app and relied 100% on the photos to guide me to the correct tombstones. It worked like a charm. We were able to find everything within minutes!

One reason why my boyfriend and I decided to head to Boston for our winter vacation was because of the city’s history! The city has been through a lot of interesting events, some more tragic than others.
At the Granary Burial Ground you will see the tombstones of famous Americans such as Paul Revere, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Phillips (first mayor of Boston), Peter Faneuil (whom the Faneuil Hall is named after), and Thomas Paine. You will also see the tombstone of the victims of the Boston Massacre.
While the size of the burial ground is fairly small, you could easily spend an hour here browsing through the tombstones attempting to read the messages on them. Many of the tombstones are hard to read, but there are still portions of the tombstones that are legible. My recommendation would be that you read the tombstones. It is interesting to see how people talked back in those days. Based on the tombstones we were able to read, it seems as though they saw death as something inevitable, so instead of fearing it, they almost welcomed it.

Granary Burial Ground is one of the most interesting stops along the Freedom Trail. I always walk through it when I am in the area. It is a beautiful site to visit during all four seasons. It is estimated that 5,000 people are buried at Granary.
The graves of several historical figures are located at Granary, including: Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Peter Faneuil, James Otis and five victims of the Boston Massacre. It really is incredible!
Visiting Granary is completely free, although donations are suggested. Sometimes, there is a man standing at the entrance handing out laminated pages that give historical descriptions of the graves. I’m not remotely a history enthusiast and I find everything about this place to be fascinating.

I love me an old graveyard, and this is arguably one of the most famous in our country. Paul Revere, John Hancock, and many others.
This graveyard, located on the Freedom Trail is an absolute must see.
One interesting thing (and this might not be there when you go) was a gentleman standing at the front gate handing out folders. In this folder was a wealth of amazing information about the graveyard! This wasn’t just a hokey key, this was the kind of thing that should be purchasable. He was just doing it for donations, but I tell you it made the graveyard that much more interesting.
A must see on the FT.

Cool, old cemetery with some famous graves… er, graves for famous people.

Very neat historic burial ground! There are a number of notable folks buried here, including Paul Revere, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin’s parents, and Samuel Adams. Next to Adams are those killed in the Boston Massacre. In addition to the signage around the grounds, there is a fellow handing out folders at the entrance. The folder contains additional information and trivia, along with a helpful map of where to find different graves. Very interesting place.

The big boys are buried (or memorialized) here, including Revere, the beer guy, the guy with the huge signature, and an obviously less-​than-​endowed inventor, who overcompensates with a towering phallus of a monument marking his family’s last bed, mere blocks from his first.
Granary is tiny, but history rich. It’s a 15 minute detour from the Freedom Trail, and is completely free (make a donation, though — these folks are founding fathers, dammit).
Kinda like Steve Harvey hosting Family Feud, the whole clan from great-​grandma to toddler Trixie will find something to appreciate, even if the shelf life is 30 minutes or less.

A wander through this cemetery is a must for any history buffs. There’s something so incredible about seeing the gravestones of many of our forefathers — Paul Revere, John Hancock, and Samuel Adams among others. We went early one morning, which turned out to be perfect because we could take our time reading the informational placards and quietly contemplate the significance of who was laid to rest here. I’d recommend an early arrival to avoid the hordes of selfie-​taking people we spied later in the day when we returned to our adjacent hotel.

This cemetery is a must if you visit Boston. Its close to downtown, the Boston Common/​Public Garden, and Beacon Hill, but feels like a completely different town. The cemetery is surrounded by buildings, but you can find the graves of some of America’s most famous revolutionary heroes here.

We are the type of tourist in every city we go to we check out the graveyards first so that being said this one was amazing. It had a bunch of notable names) Samuel Adams, mother goose and more. There is a very nice man outside the gates that gives you a map for a donation it’s very nice and they have people who dress up in the clothes of the century
Just a very nice touristy spot

The fact that Ben Franklin’s parents are buried under the large monument at the center of this cemetary is really nutz to me.
Ben Franklin, one of America’s founding fathers of this great country of ours *** pause for a minute to think about that.
To add to the history, Paul Revere is buried towards the back… leading patriot in the American Revolution.
Let that sink in, too ***** pause
There’s so much history here that my BF and I just sat on Ben Franklin’s parents’ monument for a moment to just be and reflect.
Being from Hawaii, I know all about Hawaiian history but, to be in the midst of Boston and all US history was just AMAZING to me.

One of the first stops we made on the Freedom Trail. Some of the famous names of the revolution are buried here. John Hancock, Paul Revere, Sam Adams and Ben Franklin s family. Lots of cool old headstones. A must stop for any history buff.

Granary Burial Ground ist der drittälteste Friedhof der Stadt Boston und wurde im Jahre 1660 an der Tremont Street gegründet. Er liegt direkt am Freedom Trail und ist daher nicht zu verfehlen. Man kann den Friedhof alleine entdecken oder man sucht sich einen Führer, der einem Hintergrundwissen vermittelt. Wir haben uns einfach neben die Gruppen gestellt und zugehört, das war am einfachsten.
Auf diesem Friedhof haben sehr viele bekannte Persönlichkeiten ihre Ruhe gefunden und er ist sehr beeindruckend. Bedeutende Kämpfer aus dem amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitskrieg, drei Unterzeichner der Unabhängigkeitserklärung der Vereinigten Staaten, Paul Revere und fünf Opfer des Massakers von Boston liegen hier begraben.
Hier findet man auch einen Obelisken aus dem Jahr 1827, der den Eltern und Angehörigen von Benjamin Franklin gewidmet ist. Die älteste Gedenkstätte auf dem Granary Burial Ground erinnert an John Wakefield, der am 18. Juni 1667 starb.
Im 19. Jahrhundert wurden die in loser Reihenfolge angeordneten Grabsteine in einheitlichen Reihen gesetzt, damit man das Gras einfacher mähen konnte. In 2009 wurde eine unbekannte Krypta durch Zufall entdeckt, da eine Touristin durch den Boden brach. Unter einer Schiefertafel wurde eine Treppe entdeckt, die zu einer Krypta führt.
Jeder Grabstein erzählt eine andere Geschichte und dieser Friedhof ist mit europäischen Friedhöfen nicht zu vergleichen. Gut erhaltene und weniger gut erhaltene Grabsteine, einige sind auch schon halb im Boden versunken.
Eine Sehenswürdigkeit, die man sich in Boston nicht entgehen lassen sollte.

Here lies some of America’s greatest historical Icons such as John Hancock, Paul Revere and even Sam Adams! GBG is another stop on the Freedom Trail which is a pretty cool place to check out and reflect, especially if you’re a Revolutionary War buff.
Tip — There are people in front of the gates that will offer you a folder filled with information and a map of the site. Once you turn that last page, there’s a mini folder for a donation.

John Hancock, Sam Adams, Ben Franklin’s family, Frank the loyal servant to John «Herbie» Hancock, Crispus Attucks and Paul Revere buried amongst other Revolutionary era luminaries. A true patriotic rock ‘n roll hall of fame burial ground.
10 stars!!!

It felt a bit spooky to walk around a burial ground where many of the historical figures from the American Revolution were laid to rest; Paul Revere, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin’s parents, etc. Grab the guide handed out at the gate to navigate your way around.

The freedom trail is filled with interesting historical places. This is one of those. So what if its a graveyard. It’s still a park and it provides a bunch of interesting history lessons to all who swing through here…
Some famous historical figures are buried along the freedom trail; and per the signs Paul Revere rests here. You dont get much bigger in Americana than him. However Revere is not the only one here of that would be considered important. Benjamin Franklin’s parents are also entombed here and Ben is one of the few bigger figures than Revere.
Pro Tip: This is the first cemetery on the Freedom Trail from the beginning.
This particular cemetery is very tranquil and is tucked in between 5+ story buildings on 3 sides and a major street on the fourth. It is adorned with some interesting headstones and some giant trees that are all rather old, potentially a few hundred years. I still don’t know if I would want to be in any of the tenements that surround this place. But its age is easily seen as half the headstones are overgrown with moss or lichen. It is very picturesque to boot.
So yeah it’s a suggested place to stop off and take a gander at history. If nothing else it’s a great rest stop and will let you come to a peaceful calm very quickly.