Dennis Village Cemetery
Also known as: Common Burying Ground; East Yarmouth Churchyard
Why it's listed
Dennis Village Cemetery occupies about nine acres in the center of Dennis village on Cape Cod, just south of the old King's Highway, now Route 6A. The oldest legible stones, for Mehitable Tobey and John Crowell, date to 1728. The older northern sections hold slate tablets carved with winged skulls, cherubs, willows, urns and verse, while later areas to the south hold marble and granite markers, obelisks and bordered family plots. A brick receiving tomb of 1875 stands on the site of the first meetinghouse. Granite post and iron rail fencing encloses the burial grounds. Those buried here include early settlers, the town's namesake, sea captains, people lost at sea, and veterans from the Indian wars through Vietnam. The cemetery was listed for its association with the town's early church and community development and for its gravestone art and formal layout. Burials continue today, and the grounds may also contain unmarked graves and traces of earlier structures.
Significance in brief: The cemetery is tied to the first church of the East Parish of Yarmouth and holds many early settlers, the town's namesake, war veterans and sea captains. It has a large, varied collection of gravestone art, including slate stones with winged skulls, cherubs, portraits and verse. Its formal layout also shows the shift from colonial burial ground to rural cemetery. It may also hold archaeological evidence of the first meetinghouse and unmarked graves.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 05000558, listed June 8, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | MA 6A and Old Bass River Rd., Dennis |
|---|---|
| County | Barnstable County |
| Listed | June 8, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05000558 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1728-1955 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Art, Social History, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still an active cemetery; described as prominently sited and well maintained, with a 2002 Preservation Master Plan guiding its care. |
| Acreage | 9 |
| Coordinates | 41.73675, -70.19195 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 05000558.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5259034
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.