Boston History: Copp’s Hill Burying Ground

Copp’s Hill, in the heart of the North End, is today a beautiful hidden gem with Boston’s second-oldest cemetery and an impressive terrace overlooking the harbor. However, its colonial history started with a windmill for grinding grain, set up in the 1630s. It wasn’t until 1659 that the town bought the land and laid out a cemetery.

During the American Revolution, the burying ground's prominent location overlooking the harbor gave it strategic military importance. When visiting, if you look carefully, you can see the bullet holes from when British troops used gravestones for target practice.

Used continually as a burying ground through the 1850s, Copp's Hill is the final resting place of over 10,000 people. By the time of the Revolutionary War, more than 1,000 free blacks and slaves were buried here, including Prince Hall, the forgotten black Founding Father. Check out the burying ground on many of our Private Boston Tours!