The “Old Burying Ground” LOCATION: BEAUFORT, NORTH CAROLINA Across the street from my house there’s an old historic graveyard known as the “Old Burying Ground.” Walk through the front gates and you’ll find yourself in one of North Carolina’s oldest cemeteries. In fact, the roadside historical marker, placed here by the state of North Carolina, makes its significance quite obvious. Many tombstones date back to before the Revolutionary War. It hasn’t changed much since this 1930 postcard. Confined to one city block, the Old Burying Ground is bounded by Ann, Broad, Turner and Craven Streets. Where it’s not bordered by churches or other structures, there’s been a continuous concrete wall in place for almost a hundred years. Tall, ironwork fencing was added in 1972 along with iron double gates on three sides to allow controlled entrance and exit. Ownership belongs to the town, not the churches, while the Beaufort Historic Site provides maps and tours. You can wander around on your own inside the gates during daylight under the canopy provided by ancient live oak trees. But be careful. It’s hard to walk without stepping on somebody’s grave. The ground is crowded with headstones and elevated graves, with walls and bricks and protruding roots. It’s thoroughly disorganized, often with no obvious pathways. But hey, that’s just part of its charm. Sure, this place is a relic of the past, filled with gravestones memorializing dead townsfolk over three hundred years. But when you look upwards into the trees and listen to the birds calling and singing, it’s remarkably full of life. In 1853, William D. Valentine wrote in his diary: “The most beautiful place in town is the church burying ground of the Methodists on which their new fine church is situated as well as their old one. The white tombs and pillars of white stone and marble amid the beautiful evergreens of live oak and yeopon and variety of flowers, render this the most beautiful place of the kind I ever saw, by far the choicest beauty spot of Beaufort.” Links to additional information … For tour information and a graveyard map >> Beaufort Historic SiteRead more about the burying ground’s interesting history here.For historic details >> Read More Share this:FacebookXLike this:Like Loading...