The Celebrated and Forgotten Dead of Concord

People of European descent have lived in Concord since 1727. And when they passed on, their remains were buried and marked in local cemeteries. Today there are more than a dozen burial grounds in the city. The Old North Cemetery on North State Street in Concord, sits near what had been the original town center, and is the city's oldest burial ground. It was established in 1730, with the oldest graves dating to around 1736. Its six acres enclosed by ornate iron fencing and is home to some of the area’s most interesting scions: Here you can see the graves of President Franklin Pierce, NH Governors David L. Morril and Matthew Harvey, and Lewis Downing, founder of the Abbot-Downing Company and creator of the Concord Coach.

Hillsborough-bornFranklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States, is buried with his wife Jane and two of his three sons. His tomb is mentioned on a state historic marker not far from the gate.

Concord’s less prominent citizens ended up a few miles away at what was called the Meadow Cemetery, where patients who died at New Hampshire State Hospital were buried if their bodies are not claimed.The Meadow Cemetery is marked by granite signs along Clinton Street, and has mostly unmarked grave  from about 1912 to 1974. Another  cluster of graves is set near an old baseball field, near the junction of Fruit and Pleasant Streets.

Like other New England State, the NH State Hospital buried many of its dead in simple grave nearby. The Hospital took in all types of patients — and they often died forgotten. Recent efforts helped make these burial sites easier to find, and the folks remain within easier to remember.

Lastly, it was not uncomment to bury the dead of a family on private land. These family plots are commonly found on country roads of the many towns that surround Concord.