Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, MA

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is Concord’s most prominent and only active public cemetery. It is located a block east of Monument Square on Bedford Street and is within walking distance of Concord Center. Consecrated in 1855 with opening remarks by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the burial site was inspired by the 19th-century Garden Cemetery Movement and has a long history.

The Burial Site of Famous Concord Authors

Sleepy Hollow houses the graves of famous Concord writers like Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Daniel Chester French, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and others. Many literature lovers come to visit Sleepy Hollow Cemetery to visit the graves of these celebrated authors.

Pay Your Respects at Author’s Ridge

The Author’s Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is a scenic corner where you can explore the actual graves of Alcott, Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne, as they are all buried close to each other. This area is a special pilgrimage for many writers as visitors come to pay their respects at Emerson’s rough marble boulder or leave pencils at the headstone of Thoreau. You must walk up an incline in the cemetery to get to Author’s Ridge.

Melvin Memorial at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

The Melvin Memorial is a prominent monument located within Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord. It was created to honor three Melvin brothers—James, Asa, and John Melvin—who all died serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. The memorial was commissioned by their surviving brother, Major James C. Melvin, who wanted to commemorate their sacrifice.