Old North Cemetery, cemetery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Old North Cemetery is a historic burial ground in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, located along Maplewood Avenue and containing approximately 1800 graves. The site displays gravestones from the 18th and 19th centuries in varying styles, from simple markers to more ornate carvings, all sheltered by large trees that create a quiet, timeless setting.
The cemetery was established in 1753 and is the second oldest burial ground in the city, built on land purchased from John Hart. It served burials until around 1926 and holds graves of state founders and soldiers who fought in the French and Indian War, Revolutionary War, and Civil War.
The cemetery takes its name from its location in the northern part of Portsmouth and served for generations as a place where the community honored its deceased. The inscribed names and dates on the stones show the diversity of early residents, including graves of freed individuals and the first Jewish settler in the city.
The cemetery is accessible along Maplewood Avenue and can be explored on foot with simple paths between the gravestones. A cemetery index is available at the Portsmouth Public Library to help locate specific graves or learn more about individual people buried there.
The cemetery holds the graves of two Founding Fathers, John Langdon and William Whipple, who played key roles in the founding of New Hampshire and the nation. It also contains the burial place of Abraham Isaac, the first Jewish settler in Portsmouth, and graves of enslaved and later freed individuals such as Prince Whipple and Pomp Spring, whose stories reveal the complex social fabric of early Portsmouth.
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