Puritan Bostonians were not pleased when the original Anglican church was erected on this site in 1688. The granite chapel standing today – built in 1754 – houses the largest bell ever made by Paul Revere, as well as a historic organ. The adjacent burying ground is the oldest in the city. Besides the biweekly services, recitals are held here every week (12:15pm Tuesday).
The church was built on a corner of the city cemetery because the Puritans refused to allow the Anglicans to use any other land. As a result, these are some of the city’s oldest headstones, including one that dates to 1658. Famous graves include John Winthrop, the first governor of the fledgling Massachusetts Bay Colony; William Dawes, who rode with Paul Revere; and Mary Chilton, the first European woman to set foot in Plymouth.
In addition to the self-guided tour, visitors are invited on the Bells & Bones tour, which ascends into the bell tower to admire Paul Revere’s work and descends into the crypt to wander among 250-year-old remains.