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The Old Cemetery
The start of East Haven's first cemetery, called the "Burying Ground" was in 1707, the first settlers carried the dead to New Haven's ancient burying ground on the Green. The oldest stone in the Burying Ground found bears the date of 1712.
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The cemetery traces its origin to 1707, when part of the town commons was sequestered as a burying ground.
The oldest recorded grave dates to 1712 (before that, many early residents had been buried in nearby towns).
In 1797, the cemetery was expanded north, crossing River Street to enlarge the burial grounds.
The older section (from 1707) lies toward the rear; the newer (post 1797) section lies nearer to the road.
The older graves – many from the 18th century – are marked by brownstone headstones with typical “winged-angel” motifs of the period. These are arranged in two closely set rows.
The newer graves (19th century onward) tend to feature more varied headstone materials (limestone, marble, granite) and designs (willow-tree motifs, obelisks, family plots, etc.).
There is a feature in the eastern side between the two sections: a “tree-ringed depression” about 40 feet across, known as the Indian Bowl. Formerly a spring-fed vernal pool, it’s now partially filled but remains about 20 feet deep.
There are several known early burials (1700’s), including individuals like Jacob Hermingway (d. 1754), Hezekiah Pierpont (d. 1741), Elizabeth Woodward (d. 1769), Hannah Bradley (d. 1786), among others documented in local historic/genealogy sources.