DENISON BURYING GROUND
The Denison Burying Ground was established by the Denison family in 1698. This hallowed ground is the final resting place to over one hundred Denison family members. Located on Route 1 in Mystic, the burying ground is presently owned and maintained by The Denison Society.
In 2023, the Denison Homestead purchased 70 heirloom daffodil bulbs for the Stonington Beautification Committee to plant in front of the Burying Ground. The Committee volunteered to plant the daffodils along the front wall of the cemetery for bloom time this spring. Last fall, the Committee replanted the barrel planters by the front stairway with chrysanthemums and decorated the barrels with colorful pumpkins for an autumn flair. Thank you to the Beautification Committee for their kind efforts to keep the town and the cemetery as a precious treasure.
The venerable Fred Burdick, local historian and cemetery preservationist, has donated a collection of his cemetery photos and records to the Homestead. He has spent years restoring, photographing, and preserving cemeteries throughout the area. The collection contains photos and information for 18 Stonington cemeteries where Denison ancestors are buried. We are very grateful to Fred for his dedicated efforts and generosity.
These records are invaluable, as some of the stones have deteriorated over time, and can no longer be read. Fortunately, long ago, historians preserved many of the inscriptions, and now Fred has created a photo archive of every gravestone, as well. He used a mirror technique to light up some of the darkest stones, so that even if they can’t be easily read with our own eyes, his photos reveal their beautiful engravings.
Above photos from left: Prudence Denison’s gravestone condition as compared to that of her husband’s stone. Center right and far right photos show Emma Rogers’ gravestone before and after cleaning with D2 solution.
Unfortunately, though, many stones in Connecticut were carved from soft sandstone that does not stand up well to the elements. For those stones made of that particular kind of sandstone, there is no way to preserve or restore them. Replacing the stones with replicas would be extremely expensive. The Denison Burying Ground Committee is exploring having plaques made and placed beside deteriorated stones, to identify the people interred there and to record what the inscriptions used to say.
Last October, before the winter weather, an evaluation of the old Denison Burying Ground was completed to prioritize the repairs and projects for this spring when the weather warms up again. That time is almost here! Hopefully, by this year’s annual Memorial Day ceremony, some improvements will be complete.
We have had a very generous donation of $2,400 for our cemetery preservation fund, and also a $250 donation towards the purchase of D2, which is an approved gravestone cleaner. Any donations towards these efforts are greatly appreciated! Our goal is to continue raising funds that will keep our cemeteries as treasured and honorable places of repose for our ancestors.
MARCH 2025 UPDATE - With spring and summer on the way, the Denison Burying Ground in Mystic will be experiencing a renaissance, thanks to the generous donations of Denison Society members and friends, and a grant from the State of Connecticut.
The Connecticut Historical Preservation Council awarded us a grant to have ground-penetrating radar (GPR) done in the burial ground. This study was completed in July of 2024 by TerraSearch Geophysical LLC of Berlin, Connecticut. Their map gives us an amazing plan of where marked and unmarked graves exist.
With the GPR study as a guide, an area has been selected for the new flagpole and flag to be placed. After nearly 90 years of absence, a fine new flag will be raised at the burying ground! It was during the horrific hurricane of 1938 that we think the original flagpole went down. A celebration and dedication ceremony will take place when the date is arranged.
Through your generous donations, we have contracted with Historic Gravestone Services of New Salem, MA, to have some gravestones repaired. After a thorough evaluation of all the stones in the cemetery, four priority stones were selected: three stones that have fallen to the ground and one stone that is teetering on the edge of collapse. We hope these repairs will mark the beginning of a long term restoration project, with the goal of stabilizing and/or repairing other threatened gravestones within this cemetery. A much needed handrail will also be installed at the front entrance of the cemetery, made possible through a donation from member Carol Brown of New York.
Veterans markers have been purchased for all the identified veterans in the Denison Burying Ground thanks to donations from Board trustees. There are three Revolutionary War soldiers, two War of 1812 soldiers, and two Civil War soldiers that will have new markers with their war service acknowledged on them. The plan is for them to go up in the spring and local Boy Scouts have offered to place them.
The Denison Cemetery Committee’s long-term goal is to steward all the gravesites of our Denison ancestors in the local area. Two of our Board members, Janet Tripp and Heather MacPherson Hills, have joined with the Abigail Hinman DAR Chapter to adopt the Whitehall Cemetery in Stonington, where many Denison ancestors are laid to rest. Janet and Heather have been cleaning Denison stones and helped to place veteran markers and flags on Denison soldiers’ graves.
We thank everyone for their donations to the Cemetery Improvement Fund. We have used the funds to preserve the past, advocate for the future, and honor our ancestors. We must still raise more funds because the need is great. But the results are giving our ancestors and all of us so much joy and satisfaction! Please consider a donation, if you are able, to continue this good work.
Four Gravestones Scheduled for Restoration 2025
This 1862 30-pound Parrott Rifle was placed in the Denison Burying Ground by the G.A.R., the veterans organization for Union veterans of the Civil War.
Here lies Elisha Denison who died on the Prison Ship Jersey during the Revolutionary War.
This is the resting place of George Denison, grandson of Captain George and Ann. George, along with his bride Lucy Gallup Denison, who built the present day Pequotsepos Manor in 1717 after the original home burned down on the eve of their wedding.