- On March 25, 1741,1 it was “voted that Dr. Joshua Beck and Ambrose Berry be a comity to take care that the Burying Place in s’d Parish be fenced in with rocks."

- The limits of Old Hill Burying Ground were later extended, as surveyed in 1771, and in 1790 the town of Newburyport "voted to enlarge and fence the burying ground as thought best." It was at this point in time that the lower portion to the junction of Pond and Auburn Streets was added.

- Shortly after World War II, Todd Woodworth forwarded a "motion of comity" to designate a section of the southwesterly portion Old Hill as a veteran's cemetery.2

Of late, the Waterside community has passed three signficant historical and generational milestones for Old Hill Burying Ground:

- March 29, 2005 marked the 275th year milestone since assessors were authorized to enclose with a board fence the area known as Snelling's Hill as a burial place.

- And last year, the Year of Common Ground (March 25, 2006 - March 24, 2007) marked the 265th year milestone that a comity "take care" that said burying place be fenced in with rocks. It also marked a generational milestone (two generation of 30 years each) since the Veteran Cemetery was commemorated.

Mindful of these milestones in history ~ there is a mindset to make the strides to restore and preserve Old Hill Burying Ground ~ and address the other important historical burial places within the bounds of Newburyport which are considered publically owned and under the juridiction of the City of Newburyport ~ as well as those sacred places under the auspices of a trust such as Sawyer Hill. In addition to Old Hill Burying Ground, New Hill Burying Ground (AKA Highland Cemetery) is directly under the care of the City of Newburyport's Department of Public Works.3

And what better first step to take towards that careful preservation than to mend Old Hill Cemetery's deteriorated boundary wall at the foot of Auburn Street? And in a coincidence of history and "history in the making" ~ plans were in motion to complete that work as we passed the aforementioned 265th year milestone last year. This spring reconstruction of that section of the wall was to be completed before the blue moon milestone on May 31, 2007.

¹ Technically, adding 11 days to convert form the old style Julian calendar to Gregorian calendar (see link without) this anniversary also would be remarked on December 7th.

² This is certain knowledge ascertained from parole evidence, and a fact included in Dick Cunningham's "The Burying Grounds of Old Newbury" offered by the Newbury 375th Committee. Further insight on this Web site.

In an earlier coincidence, the Director of Heritage Preservation at the Essex National Heritage Commission (link without), Bill Steelman (who coincidentally resides in ward 3) was at the (prior) Mayor’s ward meeting when the issue of the deteriorating cemetery wall along Auburn Street surfaced. Commentary was made about the NEHA/NEHC partnership grants as a potential funding source. (Those grant proposals are typically due in April, and require matching funds.) The NEHC would be a likely source for a broader effort which would assist in this momentum. Thankfully, in the 2005 Reconnaissance Report (to inventory the Massachusetts Heritage Landscape in Essex County) jointly conducted by the NEHC and the Massachusetts Deparment of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) included the 5.3 acres of city-owned historic Old Hill Burying Ground (along with New Hill Burying Ground).