The infamous Boston Cemetery (aka Boston Mills Cemetery) of Helltown legend lies  at the end of a dead end road in Boston Township.  It sits upon a hill that suspiciously resembles a Native American mound. 

 

 

According to Peninsula historical records, the land was once part of the Stanford Family burial grounds, which was donated to the Peninsula United Methodist Church by George Stanford.  George Stanford founded the Boston Moral Society in 1833, sponsoring  religious "tours" by horseback preachers, who organized revival meetings in private homes and schoolhouses in the area.   

 

 

 

But enough of these dry details. 

Boston Cemetery is better known as the "Helltown" cemetery of local legend.  Supposedly, this graveyard contains the ghost of an old man who sits on a bench and "stares blankly into creation."  It is also rumored that the trees here move on their own.  Spooky stuff, indeed.

As it turns out, there is no such bench in the cemetery.  During multiple visits to this site, no ghost was reported.  The trees did move a few times, but those incidents were attributed to natural causes (e.g. wind).

As disappointing as it may be to learn that the cemetery is not haunted, it is not without its own interesting features.  For instance, it contains the graves of a few notable people, including Eleaza Mather, a Revolutionary War veteran who was also Boston Township’s first doctor.  It also contains the graves of members of the Mills, Stanford, Fayerweather and Jaite families. 

Below, part of the Stanford Family plot.   We are guessing that the nearby Stanford Road (aka the "Highway to Hell") was named after this large family.  From the left, front row:  James G. Stanford (dates illegible), Polly Stanford (dates illegible), Rebecca Clark Stanford (who died on February 5, 1869 at the age of 71) and Rachael Stanford (who died in 1851 at the age of  50).

 

Below, the ill-fated Fayerweather family.  This poor couple lost most of their children during their early years.

 

 

Brothers Harry and John Fayerweather.  Both died when they were less than 2 years old.  Harry (born November 5th, 1853) died on October 3, 1855.  John (born November 15th, 1851) died on July 30th, 1853.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second set of Fayerweather brothers fared only slightly better.  Charley died on January 23, 1864 at the age of 5.  His older brother, Fred, died just a few months later, on March 4th, 1864, at the age of 7.

 

One of many illegible brownstone markers found on the burial hill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below, part of the Mills family plot.  From the left, Elizabeth Mills, who died in 1817 at the age of 65.  Her husband, Randle Mills, passed away a few years earlier, in 1811, at the age of 65.

 

 

The ornately-engraved tombstone of Robert Cunger, who died on February 17, 1866 at the age of 2.