That the Bay View Cemetery was established in 1728 and is the third oldest cemetery in Gloucester? The Ancient Burial Ground, also known as First Parish Burial Ground and Old Bridge Street Burial Ground, was established in 1633 and is the oldest cemetery in Gloucester. The Second Parish Burial Ground, also known as the Thompson Street Burial Ground, located in West Gloucester, is the second oldest burial place in the community, having been established in 1716.
I always feel a little sad when I pass this cemetery; it is so forlorn looking. It has a nice fresh sign though.
E.J. Lefavour
Good Morning Gloucester 
Always enjoy your post and photos even though I am one of those ‘natives’ ~ I still learning and you provide great info and shots! namaste, Carol ^_^
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Don’t know why but I’ve always been fascinated by old cemeteries like that one. I think it’s beautiful in it’s bleak way. Last year when we were looking to move to Gloucester, one of the homes we looked at had several tombstones right in the back yard. Close to a dozen, smack dab outside the kitchen window. The homeowner said the property once belonged to the church down the street. Gloucester never ceases to amaze…but we passed on that place.
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Where I am originally from,I use to caretake our cemetery. It was my favorite job. The calmness and beauty of all the trees in the seasons gave dignity to those who chose to be buried there.
Are their veterans in this beautiful cemetery? Do they remember to put flags on their graves
on Memorial Day in remembrance of their part in making our land safe? Thank you for such
quaint pictures. I hope someone does go stone to stone,and write down the information in a book,just because. Every person who is buried has a beginning and a end. Maybe a “in memory of” display of the stones that mark Gloucester heritage,for the next showing.? Just a thought. Gma
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Thanks Carol.
Interesting concept GMA. I’ve always found graveyards, especially the old ones, fascinating. For instance, The Ancient Burial Ground contains the grave of Isabel Babson (1577-1661), the first Babson in America and the progenitor of all with that name in the country. She arrived in Salem from England on September 25, 1637 and in 1942 she moved to Gloucester where she was greatly respected as a nurse and midwife. As you say, there are stories behind every grave stone or marker. No one goes through life without making some contribution, big or small, to the family, neighborhood, village, community, state, country or world in which they lived in their time.
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Maybe the boy scouts or girl scouts are looking for a project to earn a badge this year and could clean up the area with a weed wacker or something??? Great story and thanks for bring it to everyones attention…
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Do you remember the name of the old graveyard on Prospect St. next yo the AMVETS Club. I remermber city or some group cleaned it up and moved head sones and took out some if there were no living connections or vandlized beyound repair. Joe T.
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Hi Joe, there is a Prospect Street Cemetery, also known as High Street Cemetery on Prospect Street that dates back to 1837. Don’t know if that is the one you are referring to. There are 89 interned there including a number of Babson, Clark, a bunch of Davis and Ellery, Favor, Fears, Friend, Haskell, Honor, Knight, Rogers, Rowe, Smith, a Wonson and bunch of Woodbury, as well as others. There are photos of it, as well as a list of the interned at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=91070.
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Thank you for that information . As a kid in the 50’s I walked past that cemetary many a sunday on the way to church at St. Ann ‘s ,and wondered why it was kept in poor shape. I also remember my father telling a story of as a boy born in Boston and moved to Gloucester in the 20’s of calling the high spot at the Fort area “Skull Mountain” and that it was a Indain burial ground because of the bones found in that area. May have been a myth but possible.
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This cemetery was documented and restored back in the 70’s. I remember ghs kids that were involved in the project.
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Deb is right. It was a big project, in 1973, that included setting tipped stones upright and repairing many. Al Duca was a key person.
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In Mexico, people have picnics next to their deceased relatives tombstones.
They do it on Nov. 1st. The Day of the Dead holiday. Sounds kind of neat.
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When I was a teenager, a friend and I tried to sleep one night in our local cemetery. It was really scary and we jumped up in the middle of the night and ran out of there. I think a daytime picnic would be much nicer. It’s nice to hit on a subject and place that so many people are interested in. Thanks for all the additional input and info everyone.
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