Oak Hill Cemetery

Consecrated in 1842, Oak Hill Cemetery is one of the first rural garden cemeteries in the United States.

During the consecration ceremonies, the Reverend Jonathan F. Stearns, of the First Presbyterian Society (Old South Church), addressed the audience and said, “

………We do not think to vie with Mount Auburn or Harmony Grove. It is enough for us if we secure to ourselves a quiet, tasteful, hallowed spot, where the dust of our departing friends may be treasured, and where we ourselves may repose by their side, when a few more of these suns shall have set. Such a spot “Oak Hill Cemetery” is – a perfect gem in its kind……”

Still an active burial ground, Oak Hill is a place for reflection and quiet walks through beautiful landscape, to enjoy bird watching and photography, and to reminisce about the rich history of Newburyport.

Since the fall of 2007, the cemetery has received funding from the Arakelian Foundation, Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank, the Newburyport Community Preservation Committee, the Essex National Heritage Commission, and the Historic Gardens of Newburyport and Its Environs. Funding is assisting the trustees with the Ellen T. Brown Memorial Chapel, and the gravestone and heritage tree restoration projects.

Stayed tuned for the upcoming publication, “Tiptoe Through the Tombstones, Oak Hill Cemetery, Volume I.” The book is expected to be available in local bookstores in December 2008.