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University of Maryland in Baltimore, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

An 18th-Century Burying Ground

 
 
An 18th-Century Burying Ground Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Christopher Busta-Peck, March 26, 2008
1. An 18th-Century Burying Ground Marker
Inscription.
Westminster's origins stretch back to 1786 when local Scots-Irish Presbyterians acquired land here for a new burial ground, a mile or so from the center of the growing town of some 12,000. First Presbyterian Church included many of Baltimore's most affluent and influential business, military, political and cultural leaders.

Westminster's gravestones read like a who's who of early Baltimore. And the survival of this 18th-century burying ground provides us with a direct and intimate encounter with America's changing attitudes toward death.

[map]
Edge of Town First Presbyterian Church's new burying ground was located away from the wharves, counting houses and fashionable homes of Baltimore's bustling waterfront.

Warner & Hanna's Plan of the City & Environs of Baltimore … 1801.
The Maryland Historical Society

Looking at Westminster

Gravestones & Vaults Westminster's gravestones, nearly all of local marble, are typical, albeit conservative, examples of their period. They include decorated tables and slabs (raised above the ground) and a handful of obelisks and sarcophagi. The three dozen granite vaults, on the other hand, are extraordinary.

Three Periods of Change
Westminster's first burial took place in 1788 and its last in 1943.
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That 155-year period can be divided into three periods, according to work done by local professor Stephen Vicchio.

Early Years, 1788-1800
Gravestones with scalloped and square tops are straightforward expressions of the austerity and simplicity so highly values by 18th century Presbyterians (Calvinist). Look for examples with long prose epitaphs.

Golden Age, 1800-1840
Elaborate burial vaults reflect the worldly success of church members and their embrace of public displays of wealth. The stylish Greene Street carriage gates signal taste and sophistication. The gates and a handful of vaults were designed by noted architects. Look for short poetic epitaphs describing someone's spiritual qualities - one of Samuel T. Coleridge's poems was a local favorite.

Late Period, 1840s-1940s
Monumental displays disappears as the wealthiest church members begin buring their dead in new "rural" cemeteries like Greenmount and Loudon Park. Many familes move their members' remains to Greenmount. Look for plain ground slabs and raised tablets.

[plot]
A Simple Plan The original burying ground plan contained 180 lots, each measuring 16 ½ by 8 feet. The original entrance, located on the south side near the Sam Smith vault, opened onto a 10-foot avenue that bisected the graveyard. Five smaller paths (42-inch
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alleys) also ran north-south, providing access to family lots. A second 10-foot avenue ran east-west. The Greene Street carriage gates were added in 1815.

Plan of the Grave Yard from John C. Backus' Discourse delivered at the Opening of the Westminster Presbyterian Church... (1852)
First & Franklin Street Presbyterian Church Archives

[print]
Out-of-Fashion The opening of Greenmount Cemetery in 1839 rendered Westminster crowded and undignified. A pleasure ground for the living, Greenmount brought the rural cememtery movement to Baltimore.

Green Mount Cemetery, tinted lithograph by August Kollner, 1848
Courtest of Enoch Pratt Free Library / State Library Resource Center, Baltimore, Maryland

[painting]
Scots-Irish Elite Prominent merchants like Robert Gilmor, whose family vault is here, controlled the political, economic, and civil affairs of early Baltimore. This portrait includes of the the earliest view of the harbor and Federal Hill, and shows Gilmor seated in his comfortable Water Street home - where he can keep an eye on his nearby business interests.

Portrait of Robert Gilmor by Charles Wilson Peale, Baltimore, 1788, oil on Canvas, 1967-365,A. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Bequest of Mary Mercer Carter Stewart Vivian.

Some Useful Terms
Vault - Burial chamber, usuallly underground; a repository for the dead
Mausoleum - Large tomb built above ground
Tomb - Structure in which a corpse is buried, built above or below the ground
Sarcophagus - Carved Stone container for a body from the Greek words meaning "eater of flesh"
Crypt - Vault with domed or arched ceiling; typically underground or partially so
Catacombs - Underground network of corridors and rooms used as burial places, usually associated with early Christians in Rome
Coffin - Wedge or octagonal shaped container, generally made by local carpenters or cabinet makers, in common use into the 1860s
Casket - Rectangular-shaped burial container, originally meaning "a precious receptacle for jewels," popular after the Civil War

[photograph] Descendents John Stewart Morton Jr., shown here in front of his family's 19th century vault, worked tirelessly on behalf of the Westminster Preservation Trust to locate descendants of those buried here.

Courtesy of John Stewart Morton Jr.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical year for this entry is 1786.
 
Location. 39° 17.406′ N, 76° 37.413′ W. Marker is in Baltimore, Maryland. It is in University of Maryland. Marker can be reached from the intersection of West Fayette Street and North Greene Street. Marker is on the grounds of Westminster Hall and Burying Ground. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 519 West Fayette Street, Baltimore MD 21201, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 26 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. “…a truly affectionate wife” (here, next to this marker); Westminster Hall & Burying Ground: Where Baltimore's History Rests in Peace (a few steps from this marker); A Monument to the Memory of Edgar Allan Poe (a few steps from this marker); A La Memorie D’Edgar Allan Poe (a few steps from this marker); Westminster Church and Cemetery (a few steps from this marker); Poe’s Baltimore (a few steps from this marker); John McDonogh (a few steps from this marker); The McDonoghs of Baltimore (a few steps from this marker); Among the Illustrious Men (a few steps from this marker); Final Rest (a few steps from this marker); The Gilmors (a few steps from this marker); Infusing Style and Sophistication: The Influence of Maximilian Godefroy (a few steps from this marker); The Carriage Gates of Westminster Burying Ground (within shouting distance of this marker); Building Atop the Burying Ground (within shouting distance of this marker); A Mother’s Grief (within shouting distance of this marker); The Sleep of Young Innocents (within shouting distance of this marker); A Swashbuckling Merchant (within shouting distance of this marker); Believe it or Not (within shouting distance of this marker); Fame, Fortune and Financial Scandal (within shouting distance of this marker); Rev. Patrick Allison (within shouting distance of this marker); Dugan-Hollins Family Vault (within shouting distance of this marker); Monumental Lives (within shouting distance of this marker); James McHenry (within shouting distance of this marker); Bernard von Kapff (within shouting distance of this marker); Local Hero, National Leader (within shouting distance of this marker); James McHenry, M.D. (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Baltimore.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 20, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 26, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. This page has been viewed 3,667 times since then and 7 times this year. Photo   1. submitted on March 27, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio.

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Mar. 19, 2024