Blankenship Cemetery

Off Point Road in Marion, there is a small, old graveyard that Plymouth County records refer to as the "Blankenship Cemetery", despite the fact that the surname found on the tombstones here is "Blankinship".

According to records, this graveyard was consecrated in 1787.
There are so many Blankinship tombstones both here and at the Old Landing cemetery in Marion - and yet, a quick perusal of the local "blue book" (the phone book for the Tri-Town area of Mattapoisett, Marion and Rochester) did not turn up any listed Blankenship or Blankinship families in the area.

If you are ever in Marion, check out this little graveyard - there honestly isn't more than a couple dozen stones, but there is an interesting network of paths behind the cemetery with hewn-log benches and memorial stones. The memorial paths behind the Blankenship Cemetery are part of a memorial project that the Sippican Lands Trust put together.

Old Burying Ground

Reads: "Old Burying Ground 1771 - Removed to Riverside Cemetery 1850-1896"
So tell me what's wrong with this picture? No graves. The graves that existed here in the 18th and early 19th century were moved, as the sign indicates, in 1850.
This memorial park is at the juncture of Walnut and William Street in Fairhaven - where Fort Street begins. And although the folks that were interred here were moved over 150 years ago, the town has kept it in preservation as a peaceful park.

I won't cite conspiracy theories in regards to some remains being left behind - this was probably not a Quaker burial ground (the Fairhaven Quakers were on Bridge Street), so it's likely that every"body" was accounted for - but it's still a peaceful spot, and some would consider it consecrated grounds - all reasons to include it in my portfolio of nifty SouthCoast cemeteries.

Old Hammond Cemetery in Mattapoisett

For my first foray into the world of cemetery-skulking, I picked the Old Hammond cemetery on River Road in Mattapoisett.

Let's just say, there is no mystery as to why they call the area "Old Hammondtown". Almost every single marker in the cemetery had the name "Hammond" on it. Other common Mattapoisett/Nasketucket names like Bolles and Shaw were also present.

According to the marker at the entrance of the cemetery, 20 people interred at the Hammond cemetery served in the Revolutionary War.

The Hammond Cemetery location was used as a burial ground as early as 1740. There were quite a few stones that were mere nubs at this point.

It's so disappointing to see decay like that, especially for someone like me, who is so obsessed with history. I caught a picture of one stone remnant that just says "Elizabeth" - there was more to the stone at some point, but it's dust now.

This is a really peaceful spot. It's nestled in a bucolic spot in Mattapoisett, right next to rolling fields and stables. To get to the cemetery from Route 6, you have to travel over a single lane stone bridge - this is old New England at its finest, especially in the fall.

One last thing - I'm always amazed at the fungi I see at cemeteries. Check out this monster, phosphorescent fungus growing out of a tree.