Didn’t Boston run out of space for its dead? Yes, and that’s how South Cemetery came to be. This wasn’t planned as some grand memorial. It emerged from a pressing need.
Welcome to the South Cemetery. It is also known as South End Burial Ground. It’s a place of rest for an estimated 10000 people. Over 90 percent of the graves are unmarked. This makes it a truly mysterious place.
Back in 1810, Boston’s population was growing. Space to bury the dead was running out. The city acquired this land just outside “The Neck.” This area was the only land connecting Boston to the mainland. It became Boston’s first working-class cemetery.
Kelly Thomas is the project manager for the city’s historic burial grounds. She notes its importance. “Basically everyone who lived in Boston until Mt. Auburn was built in 1831 was buried here or in Boston.”
Imagine this space in the early 19th century. The South Cemetery was a new solution to a growing problem. The older cemeteries downtown were full. People were buried four deep in some cases. Here, there was room to start fresh.
Initially, burials were simple. Bodies were placed in rows. Later in 1829, tombs began to appear. By 1839, the cemetery was enclosed. But even then, most graves remained unmarked.
Who rests here in the South Cemetery? Unlike the other cemeteries, no one of renown is buried here. The plots were mostly for the working class and the poor. There’s also a section for infants. Infant mortality was much higher then.
In 1820, a tomb cost between $220 and $250. A male’s average salary was $325. A proper burial was expensive. Still, it was attainable for many South End residents.
There is one notable exception. Samuel Hawes, the superintendent of the City’s cemeteries, is buried here. He believed in this cemetery. He chose to rest with the many.
But over time, things changed. The City began selling off plots along Franklin Square. A piano factory bought some land. It was said they didn’t remove the bodies. Later, the St. James Hotel purchased more land. Eyewitnesses reported coffins being unearthed during construction.
In 1882, the New England Conservatory bought the hotel. They acquired more of the burial ground. The bodies were to be moved to Deer Island in 1884. Today, apartments and condos stand where graves once were.
By the 1960s and 70s, the South Cemetery fell into disrepair. Graffiti marred the tombs. Vegetation grew unchecked. A restoration began in the 1980s. The goal was to improve the site and other historic burial grounds.
Today, the South Cemetery is locked. But you can call the Cemetery Division at Mount Hope Cemetery to visit. Give them 24 hours’ notice. Remember, it can’t be opened on a Sunday.
Standing here now, it’s hard to imagine the layers of history beneath our feet. Thousands of souls rest here. Their stories remain largely untold. The South Cemetery is a reminder of Boston’s past. It is a past where life and death intertwined in the heart of a growing city.