A Guide to Lexington’s Historic Cemeteries

Whether you’re interested in who lived and died in Lexington many years ago or want to honor fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives for America’s freedom, Lexington offers three different cemeteries that you can see all year round. 

Ye Old Burying Ground

The Ye Old Burying Ground is the oldest cemetery in Lexington. Revolutionary and Civil War soldiers, veterans, and a British soldier wounded on April 19, 1775, who eventually died three days later are buried here. Some of the earliest records of graves date back to 1690. While the Minutemen who died on the Battle Green during the Battle of Lexington were buried here, they were reburied on the Battle Green. The oldest grave in the cemetery is for a man named Issac Stone. 

Captain John Parker is reported by many to be buried in this cemetery after suffering from tuberculosis and dying in September 1774, months after the Battles of Lexington and Concord. There is no gravestone for him, but there are two memorials dedicated to him within the burial ground. 

Robbins Cemetery

The Robbins Cemetery was initially a part of Samuel Winship’s farm. This plot of land first started as a family burial ground and in 1784 was deeded by Winship’s son to the town of Lexington for operation as a public cemetery. Some of the families buried here include the Robbins, Winship, Buckman, and Bowman families. Right nearby this cemetery includes markers like the Munroe Tavern, Arlington Reservoir, Lexington Ship Memorial, the Old Belfry, and the Lexington Minuteman statue. There are no public tours available of the cemetery, but it can be viewed from just outside the grounds.

USS Lexington Memorial 

At the USS Lexington Memorial, established in 1988 by the Lexington Lions Club, you’ll find five monuments that memorialize each of the five Navy ships named the U.S.S. Lexington. Every year on Patriots Day, which is the third Monday of April, the Lexington Lions host a memorial ceremony that commemorates those who served on these ships, called the U.S.S. Lexington. This memorial can be viewed externally all year round. 

Each of these cemeteries and burial grounds tells a unique story from farmland with Robbins Cemetery, navy ships with the U.S.S. Lexington, and Revolutionary and Civil War soldiers at the Ye Old Burying Ground. Explore these burial grounds today, visit several historical museums, or take one of our many tours. The possibilities are endless in Lexington!