The Ancient Friends Cemetery,
West Falmouth, Barnstable Co., MA
[Click on images for larger views]
Across from the Meeting
house, on top of the hill, is the ancient burial ground of the West
Falmouth Friends. As we take a very short drive up Blacksmith Shop Road,
we come to Friends Lane and take a left. Following a narrow drive, past
some local residences, we stop at a parking area and begin our tour:
From the parking area, is
a wide path, carefully kept. As you walk the path, about 100 feet, you
come to an intersection of paths and a small sign on a tree tells you:
That you have arrived at
"Friends Cemetery, 2.61 Acres." From this point, you can turn left and
view the burial ground itself:
The area is marked by a
fence (discussed in the intro) and you will note that there are no markers
present, as they were not used at this time by the Quakers. As you walk
the short path, you get a much better view:
The only "stone" in the
burial ground, is a large boulder resting in the northeast corner. As you
get closer to it, you discover that it has been engraved...
... with the following:
FRIENDS CEMETERY
1685
69 GRAVES
and you wonder, "Who of my family is here?" We pay our respects with
a long moment of reverent silence, thank them for their gift to us, and
turn back down the path:
In the distance, we see the sole remaining remnant of the original
Meeting House. It has been described as a one-story structure 30 feet
square with a triangular shape hopper roof, at its peak a hole to let out
the smoke of a charcoal fire used for heating.
