Plymouth's Burial Hill

Burial Hill Plymouth, MA - Home of Pilgrim Apparitions and Frozen Sailors

🦃❄️Burial Hill in Plymouth is a site of immense American history and a widely recognized location for paranormal activity. The hill was used by the Pilgrims as the site of their first fort and meeting house in the 1620s before becoming a burying ground in 1622. Many Mayflower passengers, including Governor William Bradford and William and Mary Brewster, are interred here, though their earliest wooden grave markers have long since deteriorated. More than 2,500 people are buried within its bounds, with existing gravestones dating from 1681 to 1957.

As one of the oldest cemeteries in the US, Burial Hill is considered one of the most haunted spots on the South Shore, with a heavy and sometimes hostile atmosphere reported by visitors and tour guides. A significant source of reported hauntings stems from the tragic 1778 wreck of the privateer ship General Arnold, which ran aground in a blizzard just after Christmas. Seventy of the hundred crew members froze to death and were buried in a 60-foot-wide mass grave on the hill. The spirits of these forlorn sailors are said to still roam the area, with some witnessing white, vanishing figures or hearing disembodied screams and voices near the obelisk monument. Captain James Magee, who survived the ordeal, requested to be buried with his men and is reportedly seen patrolling the memorial, still watching over his crew.

Other reported apparitions include a Victorian-era couple seen visiting the grave of their infant daughter, Ida Lizzy Spear, and a large male figure in deerskin clothing, possibly a Native American spirit. Some witnesses have also reported seeing small, imp-like elemental creatures known as Pukwudgies, which are part of Wampanoag lore and known for being mischievous. The site continues to be a central location for ghost tours in Plymouth, with many guides and visitors sharing personal stories of paranormal encounters.