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10 of the Oldest Cemeteries on the Cape & Islands

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Looking for Love? It turns out she was buried a couple hundred years ago alongside Deliverance, Reliance, Barzilla, Sophronia, Waitstill, Ichabod, Temperance, and Silvenus. Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket are home to some of the country's oldest burial grounds and we've rounded up a few of the more interesting ones on a handy map. Here lies 10 of the oldest cemeteries on the Cape and Islands.

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Sandwich Old Burial Ground

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The oldest original slate gravestones on Cape Cod are dated 1683 and one of the three (Thomas Clark) is located in the Sandwich Old Burial Ground. Also known as the Old Town Cemetery, the site has gravestones dated up to 1749.

Crossways Cemetery

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Crossways Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in the town of Tisbury and may have been used as early as 1701. Originally a private burial ground for the family of Abraham Chase, his descendants later donated the property to the town. Also known as South End Cemetery.

Barnstable Lothrop Hill Cemetery

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Two of the three oldest (circa 1683) original slate gravestones on Cape Cod are located in Barnstable Lothrop Hill Cemetery. The burial ground has graves dates through 1729.

Yarmouth Ancient Cemetery

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The earliest gravestone in Yarmouth Ancient Cemetery is Margaret Miller and it dates to 1698. The rest of the gravestones date up to 1745.

Miacomet Indian Burial Ground

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Discovered in 1987, the Miacomet Indian Burial Ground is one of the largest in the state. Also know as the Native American Burial Ground, it contains the graves of over 200 Native Americans buried during the epidemic of 1763 and 1762. The site features a commemorative boulder, but no headstones.

Dennis Village Cemetery

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Added to the National Historic Register in 2005, the 9 acre Dennis Village Cemetery was used though 1779.

Brewster Old Burial Ground

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According to CapeCodgravestones.com, up through 1750, at least 90% of the gravestones displayed winged skulls. "The oldest stones have grim images suggesting pessimism about the soul ascending to heaven" with images of bones, an hourglass or the flames of hell. An example from 1709 can be found on the grave of Tamsen Sunderlin in the Brewster Old Burial Ground.

Orleans Cemetery

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Orleans Cemetery was in use from 1723 through 1779. CapeCodGravestones.com has identified multiple examples of some of the earliest fieldstone gravestones at this site. It's located close to the "newer" (up to 1900) Meetinghouse Road Cemetery.

Cove Burying Ground

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Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, the Cove Burying Ground is on of the oldest on Cape Cod with some of the oldest examples of fieldstone gravestones that date to the 1700s.

Old North Burying Ground

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Used up through 1749, the Old North Cemetery is the oldest burial ground in Truro and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The "original proprietors, town officials, clergy, sea captains, and all others associated with the early settlement and development of the town" are buried here.

Sandwich Old Burial Ground

The oldest original slate gravestones on Cape Cod are dated 1683 and one of the three (Thomas Clark) is located in the Sandwich Old Burial Ground. Also known as the Old Town Cemetery, the site has gravestones dated up to 1749.

Crossways Cemetery

Crossways Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in the town of Tisbury and may have been used as early as 1701. Originally a private burial ground for the family of Abraham Chase, his descendants later donated the property to the town. Also known as South End Cemetery.

Barnstable Lothrop Hill Cemetery

Two of the three oldest (circa 1683) original slate gravestones on Cape Cod are located in Barnstable Lothrop Hill Cemetery. The burial ground has graves dates through 1729.

Yarmouth Ancient Cemetery

The earliest gravestone in Yarmouth Ancient Cemetery is Margaret Miller and it dates to 1698. The rest of the gravestones date up to 1745.

Miacomet Indian Burial Ground

Discovered in 1987, the Miacomet Indian Burial Ground is one of the largest in the state. Also know as the Native American Burial Ground, it contains the graves of over 200 Native Americans buried during the epidemic of 1763 and 1762. The site features a commemorative boulder, but no headstones.

Dennis Village Cemetery

Added to the National Historic Register in 2005, the 9 acre Dennis Village Cemetery was used though 1779.

Brewster Old Burial Ground

According to CapeCodgravestones.com, up through 1750, at least 90% of the gravestones displayed winged skulls. "The oldest stones have grim images suggesting pessimism about the soul ascending to heaven" with images of bones, an hourglass or the flames of hell. An example from 1709 can be found on the grave of Tamsen Sunderlin in the Brewster Old Burial Ground.

Orleans Cemetery

Orleans Cemetery was in use from 1723 through 1779. CapeCodGravestones.com has identified multiple examples of some of the earliest fieldstone gravestones at this site. It's located close to the "newer" (up to 1900) Meetinghouse Road Cemetery.

Cove Burying Ground

Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, the Cove Burying Ground is on of the oldest on Cape Cod with some of the oldest examples of fieldstone gravestones that date to the 1700s.

Old North Burying Ground

Used up through 1749, the Old North Cemetery is the oldest burial ground in Truro and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The "original proprietors, town officials, clergy, sea captains, and all others associated with the early settlement and development of the town" are buried here.