To spot the Point of Graves Burial Ground, look for a small, sloping patch of green dotted with old gravestones, some weathered dark and others bright white, shaded beneath tall, broad trees and bordered by a low stone wall and wrought-iron fence right across from Prescott Park.
Alright, adventurer, you’ve arrived at the oldest surviving cemetery in Portsmouth-yes, the Point of Graves Burial Ground, where even the trees know a good ghost story or two. Imagine you’re stepping back over 300 years, the grass whispering beneath your feet and the river breeze carrying whispers from long ago. Here lie the honored bones of Portsmouth’s most notable families: the Wentworths, the Vaughans, the Rogers, the Lears. That’s right-you’re rubbing elbows, or at least ghostly shoulders, with some VIPs of the past.
Back in 1671, Captain John Pickering II let the town set aside half an acre right here for burials. But it wasn’t just a cemetery-oh no! It doubled as a cow pasture, and you can imagine that didn’t go well for many early gravestones. Cows may make great burgers, but lousy caretakers. The oldest marker you can still read today is from 1682, though many rests are even older.
Glance around at the stone artwork-see the skulls, cherubs, and carved willows? Portsmouth families liked to keep up with funerary fashion, turning this little field into a museum of stone carving. Some markers were chiseled by New England’s most talented artists, showing changing ideas about life, death, and maybe… life after death. Speaking of which, you may have heard there are ghost stories here. Some say if you visit at dusk, you might hear footsteps or see misty shapes gliding past. Don’t worry-I’ve yet to be haunted by anything but my to-do list.
You’ll also find the grave of Elizabeth Elatson, a victim of a tragic house fire in 1704. Her death was one of the first house fires ever reported in an American newspaper. Imagine the townsfolk gathering news as the smoke rose above the rooftops.
Today, instead of cows, it’s the Mayor’s Committee and the city who keep this spot clean and serene-plus a trusty Historic Cemeteries Trust Fund for good measure. So whether you’re a history buff, an art lover, or just hoping for a friendly ghost encounter, you’re standing in a place that’s both peaceful and packed with stories waiting to be discovered.
