It’s like going back in time when you find a 300-year-old graveyard on the coast of North Carolina.
One of the oldest cemeteries in the state, the Old Burying Ground in Beaufort, was built in 1711. It holds memories of a time when pirates, rebels, and ship captains sailed the coast.
The oldest gravestones, which are often too worn to read, show a time long ago. Due to a lack of tools, early settlers marked graves with wooden headstones or personal things. The first grave plaque that can be read was put there in 1765, but many graves are likely older.
The Girl in the Rum Barrel is one of the most famous stories in the graveyard. It’s about a young girl who died at sea. Because he promised to bring her home, her father kept her body fresh in a rum barrel for the trip. Today, people who were moved by her story have left toys on her grave.
There is also the grave of a British soldier who was buried standing up, facing England, and saluting the king. There is also the grave of Captain Otway Burns, who was buried with a pirate ship’s cannon.
Location: 411 Ann St, Beaufort, NC 28516, United States
This ancient graveyard is one of the few things left over from North Carolina’s early days. It gives us a look into the colonial history of the state.