Boston Cemetery

Main Street
Boston Township, Ohio

History

This small hilltop cemetery is located on the northern end of the old canal town of Boston. It was the site of the first crude log cabin built by settlers Alfred Wolcott, John Teale, and Samuel Ewart in March 1806. Prior to that time, a Mingo settlement existed near this site as well as a French trading post near this hill. It was later chosen for a burial ground and, according to local lore, when they dug the first graves, the shovels revealed the bones and artifacts of a Native American burial mound. Among the bodies buried here are those of Jim Brown, a well-known sheriff and counterfeiter, and a dozen or so Union soldiers from the Civil War. The cemetery is still in use today.

Hauntings

Boston is better known as "Hell Town" to northeastern Ohioans. Several legends have sprung up surrounding the town and its cemetery. These urban legends began in the 1970s when the Park Service evicted homeowners after purchasing the land for park use. Although the majority of stories are pure fiction, there is some reason to believe the cemetery may, in fact, be haunted. The disturbed and angered spirits of the natives are believed to make themselves known to the living, wrenched from their graves by careless people over a hundred years ago.

Notice: The cemetery and nearby roads are heavily patrolled by Boston Heights police. Being in the cemetery after hours is strictly prohibited.

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Photographs

Boston Cemetery in 1905.

Boston Cemetery in 1905.

View of Boston Cemetery from the east near the canal.

Documents