Ye Antientist Burial Ground

"Besides having the best name of a burial ground in CT this is a very beautiful and well preserved cemetery. I love looking at the variety, creativity and skill of stone carvers of grave stones carved before 1800 because they usually featured winged head or soul effigies. Each area of New England had their own carvers and so each burial ground has variations on basically the same theme for grave stones. This burial ground has some of the most original and beautiful grave stones in the state. It is well worth a visit."

Sam Smith

"Standing among the weathered gravestones of Ye Antientist Burial Ground in New London, Connecticut, one is struck by the peculiar silence that envelops this 1.5-acre hillside cemetery. Established in 1645 and legally designated as a "Common Buriall place" by a 1653 ordinance, this is one of New England's earliest graveyards — a repository of colonial history hiding in plain sight.

The cemetery presents itself as a study in ordered chaos. Stones tilt at precarious angles, crowded together "without avenues or spaces between families." Some bear the distinctive "death's head" or "soul effigies" — those haunting carved faces that exemplified Puritan gravestone art. These markers, described in historical accounts as "rude in form and material, or quaint and grotesque in workmanship," tell stories of the region's earliest European settlers.

But the most compelling narrative emerges from a Black Heritage Trail marker near the entrance. It commemorates Florio Hercules, who died in 1749 at age 60. She was wife to Hercules, "Governor of the Negroes," and her gravestone represents the earliest known record of Connecticut's Black governors. Beginning in the mid-18th century, Black Americans throughout New England elected their own leaders in annual festivals based on African celebrations. These respected figures helped settle disputes and maintain peace within their communities.

Florio's story is heartbreaking in its stark reality — enslaved by three generations of the Hallam family, separated from her husband in life and death. Her presence here transforms this colonial cemetery into something more nuanced: a physical record of America's complicated racial history.

Above the cemetery, a magnificent weeping beech creates a natural canopy. Its dramatic branches cascade toward the gravestones below in a gesture that feels like perpetual mourning; this tree is particularly stunning in summer, its verdant curtain creating dappled light across the ancient stones.

From this elevation, visitors can glimpse the Thames River and the heights of Groton beyond — the same view that would have greeted mourners centuries ago when the dead were "brought in from a distance of six or seven miles, either carried in hurdles, or borne on a bier upon men's shoulders."

Notable residents include Gurdon Saltonstall, Connecticut's colonial governor from 1708 to 1724; Sarah Kemble Knight, author of an important colonial-era travel journal; and Lucretia Harris Shaw, who transformed her home into a hospital for soldiers returning from British prison ships during the Revolutionary War.

The cemetery isn't perfectly maintained. Many stones have suffered damage over time, their inscriptions fading into illegibility. A community group formed in recent years organizes periodic cleanups, but this place wears its age honestly — moss-covered stones and irregular maintenance are part of its authenticity.

To visit, park on nearby streets and make your way to Hempstead Street. The actual location is slightly beyond the listed address (1 Bulkeley Place), adjacent to a school and statue of John Winthrop. Allow at least an hour for exploration. Those using the Thames River Heritage Park transportation can reach it via a 0.8-mile walk from the Water Taxi Landing.

In an era of carefully curated historical experiences, Ye Antientist Burial Ground offers something increasingly rare: unvarnished communion with the past. Here, among these "irreplaceable jewels" of colonial stone carving, you'll find not just the expected tales of Puritan settlers, but also threads of Black history woven into New England's cultural fabric — stories that waited centuries to be properly acknowledged."

Jeremy Edmunds

"Just one of the many places filled with amazing colonial history scattered throughout New London. This is an special burial ground. Don't miss it, but please be respectful. No pets and no etchings. Enjoy!"

S Nahr