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Saint Matthews Cemetery

South Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA

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  • Get directions West Broadway, near E Street
    South Boston, Massachusetts, USA
    Coordinates: 42.33799, -71.04972
  • This cemetery is marked as being historical or removed.
  • No longer accepting burials
  • Cemetery ID:

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GPS is for historical purposes only


The first burial ground to open in South Boston was Saint Matthew's Cemetery. Burials were authorized in tombs underneath the Episcopal church by the Boston Board of Health in 1818.


There were numerous burials in the 60 tombs at Saint Matthew's, however the church was sold in the early 1860s. Burials had already become infrequent prior to that date; the dilapidated nature of the cemetery was certainly a contributing factor. In 1863 the owner of a neighboring site petitioned City Council to discontinue the cemetery because it was a "nuisance" to public health. The Boston City Council concurred with this opinion. The City of Boston agreed to allocate land in Mount Hope Cemetery for the remains from the church and to reimburse Saint Matthew's for $600 of their expenses (which they claimed were much higher). However some tomb owners did not wish to relinquish their tombs and move the remains. Eventually City Council decided that all tombs had to be removed. In 1866 the City of Boston published notices in newspapers informing tomb owners that the Board of Health had been authorized to remove the remains from the Saint Matthew's tombs to Mount Hope Cemetery or other cemeteries in the Boston area at the expense of the tomb owners. After all the remains were removed, the tombs were taken down. Several buildings have been built on this lot since the church was demolished.


Today the only clue to the previous existence of Saint Matthew's Church and Cemetery is a small private pedestrian way, once a path that ran along the southeasterly border of the church property, and now called "Church Avenue."


Although the cemetery is defunct, it is not known where all the burials were reinterred.

GPS is for historical purposes only


The first burial ground to open in South Boston was Saint Matthew's Cemetery. Burials were authorized in tombs underneath the Episcopal church by the Boston Board of Health in 1818.


There were numerous burials in the 60 tombs at Saint Matthew's, however the church was sold in the early 1860s. Burials had already become infrequent prior to that date; the dilapidated nature of the cemetery was certainly a contributing factor. In 1863 the owner of a neighboring site petitioned City Council to discontinue the cemetery because it was a "nuisance" to public health. The Boston City Council concurred with this opinion. The City of Boston agreed to allocate land in Mount Hope Cemetery for the remains from the church and to reimburse Saint Matthew's for $600 of their expenses (which they claimed were much higher). However some tomb owners did not wish to relinquish their tombs and move the remains. Eventually City Council decided that all tombs had to be removed. In 1866 the City of Boston published notices in newspapers informing tomb owners that the Board of Health had been authorized to remove the remains from the Saint Matthew's tombs to Mount Hope Cemetery or other cemeteries in the Boston area at the expense of the tomb owners. After all the remains were removed, the tombs were taken down. Several buildings have been built on this lot since the church was demolished.


Today the only clue to the previous existence of Saint Matthew's Church and Cemetery is a small private pedestrian way, once a path that ran along the southeasterly border of the church property, and now called "Church Avenue."


Although the cemetery is defunct, it is not known where all the burials were reinterred.

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  • Added: 17 Oct 2018
  • Find a Grave Cemetery ID: 2674644