Original 1891 Cemetery Lot Ownership Certificate in what is said to be the Oldest Public Burying Ground in the United States.
Birmingham (CT) Burying Ground Association.
Village of Birmingham, Town of Derby , County of New Haven , State of Connecticut
Lot No. 8 , Section B
About 400 square feet area.
$150 paid by Henry A. Waugh , "...his heirs and assigns are entitled to use of said Lot forever, for the purpose of sepulture alone..."
June 2, 1891
Signed, Robert O. Gates , Burying Association President
Charles H. Coe , Association Secretary
9 1/2" x 15 1/8" ( certificate unfolded)
Original applied red seal at the lower-left.
This cemetery certificate is 135 years old.
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Historical information :
The former Borough of Birmingham is Derby, Connecticut's historic downtown, originally settled in 1834 as Smithville.
It was renamed Birmingham in 1836 and operated as a semi-autonomous borough within Derby.
The village of Birmingham ceased to exist as a separate entity in 1894, when it was consolidated and chartered as the newly formed City of Derby. Originally chartered as a borough in 1851, the industrial center was annexed into the wider city framework.
Located between the Housatonic and Naugatuck Rivers, it is an important industrial hub with preserved 19th-century architecture.
The Birmingham Burying Ground, widely known as the Olde Uptown Burial Ground or Colonial Cemetery, is located near the corner of Derby Avenue and Division Street in Derby, CT, at the base of Academy Hill.
Established in 1687, it is reputedly the oldest public burial ground in the United States.
The historic graveyard contains the remains of early community members, including freed slaves, Native Americans, and veterans from King Philip's War, the French and Indian Wars, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War.
The oldest stone still standing belongs to the town's first resident parson, the Reverend John Bowers, who died on June 14, 1687. It is also famously known as the resting place of Dr. Lemuel Hopkins, a local resident believed to have brought the first lilac bushes to America.
The oldest stone remaining in the cemetery is dated 1687, and last stone placed in the cemetery is dated 1928 - a period of 241 years.
The site is maintained today with the help of the Derby Historical Society.
Unsurprisingly, the Olde Uptown Burial Ground has a long-standing local reputation for being haunted. Locals and paranormal investigators have reported several types of unexplained activity at the site, including disembodied voices - ghostly whispers and conversations, which fade away when they walk toward the sound. There are reports of shadowy apparitions and figures appearing to rise from the graves. Visitors often report experiencing abrupt drops in temperature while walking through the grounds at night.
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Carefully packed for shipment to the buyer.