Thursday, September 11, 2008

Central Burying Ground

The Central Burying Ground is located on the South East corner of the Boston Common next to the Boylston T-Stop. From 1755 to the mid-1800's thousands of graves were placed in what was essentially a pauper's cemetery. Here lie the bodies of British soldiers who died at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Most famously, in an unmarked grave, is the body of the American artist, Gilbert Stuart, who died deeply in debt. Stuart's most well-known work is The Athenaeum, an unfinished portrait of George Washington which is immortalized on the United States dollar bill. The cemetery is closed to the public but views can be easily be seen from the Boston Common or Boylston Street which is visible in the background of this image.

2 comments:

Hilda said...

I keep seeing these standing tombstones in American cemeteries — something which I rarely see in the private cemeteries here in Metro Manila. Most of the marble gravestones are just laid flat on the ground.

Tanya Breese said...

I never knew that about the portrait on the dollar bill. Fascinating!
Sad that the artist died in such debt but immortalized with his unfinished work!