Old Burying Ground

Coastal North Carolina


On the National Registry of Historic Places, this small but fascinating cemetery features the weathered tombstones of both Revolutionary and Civil War casualties and is well worth a stroll. Self-guided tour maps are supposed to be available inside the gates (not when we were there) and at the Beaufort Historic Site Welcome Center.

Keep a lookout for the wooden plank in the back, denoted by the cryptic words: 'Little Girl Buried in Rum Keg.' A young girl from a family named Sloo was preserved in a barrel of rum when she died on a sea voyage back from England in the 1700s, an alternative to throwing her overboard. There is usually a pile of toys on her grave, left by visitors. You can still see the Sloo family house on Front St.


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