King's Chapel and Burying Ground, Boston

Originally, an Anglican wooden chapel, the first of its kind in New England, was constructed on this site in 1688. Later, when the governor of New England deemed a larger church necessary, the current structure, which was initiated in 1749, was built around the original chapel. Following the American Revolution, the congregation shifted from Anglican to Unitarian. Inside the sanctuary, you can find a raised pulpit dating back to 1717, one of the oldest in the United States. Another standout feature is the chapel's bell, the largest ever cast by the Revere foundry and the last one personally cast by Paul Revere himself to replace the original one that had cracked.

The main attraction, though, is the atmospheric King's Chapel Burying Ground, Boston's oldest cemetery, often overlooked by busy passersby. Within it, there are many beautifully etched gravestones adorned with winged skulls and contemplative seraphim. One of the finest examples belongs to an unknown Joseph Tapping near the Tremont Street side. Among the prominent Bostonians interred here are John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachusetts, and Mary Chilton, the first Pilgrim to land on Plymouth Rock. At the center of the burial site is the tomb of William Dawes, the lesser-known patriot who joined Paul Revere on his renowned "midnight ride" to Lexington.

King's Chapel Burying Ground was a favored spot for author Nathaniel Hawthorne, who frequented the grave of Elizabeth Pain, the inspiration for the infamous adulterous character Hester Prynne in his novel "The Scarlet Letter".