Granary Burial Ground

Granary Burial Ground is a graveyard in Boston founded in 1660 and is the final resting place of many important figures from the American Revolution.

Granary Burial Ground history

While Granary Burial Ground contains around 2,345 tombs and graves, the actual number of people buried here is estimated to be approximately 5,000, due to the use of mass burial sites, such as the Infant’s Tomb number 203, which is thought to include over 500 children.

The Granary was previously part of Boston Common, and the livestock that grazed the Common handled landscaping at the burial ground as well. During the Victorian era, the headstones were reorganized into neat rows to make way for a modern innovation of the time, the lawn mower.

The Infant’s Tomb, where hundreds of children have been interred, is located near the central obelisk that marks the grave of Benjamin Franklin’s parents. Alongside the far wall, an elaborately embellished obelisk marks John Hancock’s tomb. Paul Revere is buried near the back of the Granary; a large marker placed in the 19th century stands by a smaller, older slate marker.

Amongst its other famous residents lie Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Robert Treat Paine, the three signatories of the Declaration of Independence, the lawyer James Otis, who spoke out against Writs of Assistance at the Old State House and Peter Faneuil, who was the wealthy merchant who built Faneuil Hall, the site of many pre-revolution protests. The five victims of the Boston Massacre of 1770 are also buried at Granary Burial Ground.

Granary Burial Ground today

Granary Burial Ground forms part of the Freedom Trail which highlights significant sites from the American War of Independence. Granary Burial Ground houses a fascinating mix of historic icons, ordinary Bostonians and modern dignitaries.
The City of Boston is the recipient of a coveted 38th annual Massachusetts Historical Commission award for the Granary Burying Ground’s 2016 preservation project.

Getting to Granary Burial Ground

The burial ground is on the Freedom Trail and is tucked between the Park Street Church and Suffolk University, in the heart of central Boston on Tremont Street.