Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is a burial ground on gentle hills in the center of Concord, Massachusetts, laid out with winding paths among old trees and thick greenery. Gravestones range from plain markers to tall monuments spread across a wide landscape with views over the surrounding fields.

The cemetery was founded in 1823 under the name New Hill Cemetery and grew into one of the earliest rural garden cemeteries in New England. Ralph Waldo Emerson delivered the dedication address in 1855 during the official consecration of the grounds.

Visitors often walk to Authors Ridge, a section on a hillside where four major 19th-century writers are buried. Many leave small pens or notes on the simple gravestones as signs of respect.

The grounds are accessible during daylight hours, and visitors can explore the paths on their own or follow printed maps available on site. The hillside with the writers' graves is about a ten-minute walk from the main entrance.

The Melvin Memorial, created by sculptor Daniel Chester French, honors three brothers from Concord who died in the Civil War. The bronze figures show a young man in uniform surrounded by quiet allegories of mourning and remembrance.

Location: Concord

Inception: 1855

Website: http://concordnet.org/Pages/ConcordMA_Cemetery/sleepy

GPS coordinates: 42.46330,-71.34440

Latest update: December 20, 2025 01:16