Cemetery Tour: Old Souls of the Old South Burial Ground, Nashua, NH

Many memorials to the dead who rest in the Old South Burial Ground Nashua NH read “Remember you must die.” However most modern onlookers are shielded from this message carved on the ancient gravestones because it is inscribed in Latin as Memento Mori. Whether interpreted as a grim message or as a call to live an honorable life the May 3rd 2025 cemetery tour presented by the Nashua Historical Society is a special opportunity to hear the history of the early inhabitants who are buried in the Old Dunstable Burying Ground otherwise known as The Old South Burial Ground. 

During the Old Souls of the Old South Cemetery Tour ticketed guests are invited to travel from grave to grave and listen to more than a dozen reenactors dressed in period-appropriate attire. The open-format tour will run twice on Saturday May 3 2025: first from 11:00 – 12:30 pm and second from 1:30 – 3:00 pm. For tickets go to: https://www.nashuahistoricalsociety.org/event-details/old-souls-of-the-old-south-burial-ground-cemetery-tour . The tour is appropriate for ticket holders ages 10 and up as there are no walkways and many of the gravestones are hundreds of years old. Dunstable was chartered in 1673 by the General Court of Massachusetts and the earliest stone in the Old South Burial Ground is dated 1687. 

Timed vignettes presented by the reenactors include stories of French and Indian War soldiers Revolutionary War heroes a minister a stonecutter and a surveyor. The Nashua Historical Society in collaboration with The Kings Daughters Benevolent Association is pleased the red brick 1841 Suburban Schoolhouse No. 1 located on the cemetery grounds will also be open to ticket holders. A schoolmaster and schoolmarm along with a small group of school-age children will greet visitors who enter the historic schoolhouse restored in 1976.

“Late in the summer of 1839 Henry David Thoreau walked through this very cemetery and wrote of the ‘early remains of ancient inhabitants of Dunstable’ and we invite the public to join us in exploring these same stones and stories” shares Paula Lochhead chair of the Cemetery Tour Committee at The Nashua Historical Society.

Lochhead and her team have designed a cemetery tour memorable for history enthusiasts but artists and curious minds too. The artwork on the stones is varied and speaks to an earlier time when symbolism included skulls bones angels fruits vines and flowers. Each grave is aligned on an east-west axis with the dead’s feet facing eastward a practice in synch with early Christian beliefs especially of New England Puritans.

To best enjoy the tour guests must be able to walk on uneven ground as well as be able to stand for an hour or more. The tour is not wheelchair accessible. Guests are encouraged to wear weather-appropriate clothing and proper footwear. A port-a-potty will be located nearby for guests.  

Advanced reservations are strongly suggested because sales are limited. Tickets for the Saturday May 3rd tour are available for $20.00 (credit fee applies) either through the Nashua Historical Society’s website at https://www.nashuahistoricalsociety.org/events or at the Nashua Historical Society’s Florence H. Speare Museum (5 Abbott Street Nashua) during business hours. Additional ticket sale times will be announced on the Society’s website and Facebook pages. Tickets may be available the day of the event but must be paid for in cash. For information on Facebook go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/1207610380715657/  

On the day of the tour Old Souls of the Old South Cemetery Tour ticket holders should come directly to the Old South Burial Ground 217 Daniel Webster Highway at least 15 minutes before their ticketed tour time. The cemetery is located at the entrance to the Royal Ridge Mall on the Daniel Webster (DW) Highway across from BJ’s Gas. Parking is available adjacent to the burial ground at Walgreens and Bank of America. In addition special event t-shirts will be available at the event for $20 while supplies last.  

The Nashua Historical Society

5 Abbott Street

Nashua NH 03064

603-883-0015

"Preserving the Past for the Future"

Office hours Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Website: https://www.nashuahistoricalsociety.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NashuaHistoricalSociety/

Host or Publisher Beth McCarthy