Day: January 20, 2009

From Zanny-

“ZAT is John Wise’s Grave in Essex, at the Ancient Burial Ground on Main St…”

Congratulations! Enjoy your gift certificate from the Black Swan! (Thanks to Lorre and Dave Anderson!)

For more of my cemetery photos, click here.

The Old Burying Ground
Behind the Essex Shipbuilding Museum is the Old Burying Ground, originally laid out in 1680 and enlarged several times until a new cemetery was dedicated in 1852. More than 2,000 persons are buried there including veterans of the French and Indian Wars, the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. The first schoolmaster rests there along with many of the town’s shipbuilders and the first three pastors of the village church. The first pastor, Rev. John Wise, is buried in the center of the yard under the table-like stone. He was a widely read author who protested taxation without representation as early as 1687. When copies of his essays were reprinted and distributed throughout the colonies in 1772, his words set the tone for the American Revolution.  Gravestone art shows examples of typical 18th and 19th century styles.