Copp’s Hill Evolution of a Puritan Burying Place 1659-The Present

Boston's Copp's Hill Burying Ground is unique as it is the only burying ground along the Freedom Trail whose landscape reflects over 300 years of changing ideas about death and burial practices. The Death Head motif remains a somber reminder of a time long ago when insecurity dominated the lives of the Puritan settler. As Boston grew and ideas about life and death changed, so too did the images on the gravestones and eventually the landscape of the burying ground. While one goal of this book is to take the reader on a journey from the world of the Puritans to the world of today via the development of the Copp's Hill Burying Ground, the other is establish a fund to help preserve this fragile resource. To that end, a percentage of sales from the book will be donated to the North End Historical Society to advance preservation efforts in the burying ground.