Adjacent to the church is the Ancient Burying Ground, Hartford's first public cemetery which was used from 1640 to 1803.

Originally occupying an area bounded by Main Street on the east, Lewis Street on the west, Pearl Street on the north and Gold Street on the south, it doubled as a grazing pasture for sheep, horses and cattle, similar to the practice in England. Hogs, however, were not allowed to graze there after a 1664 law was passed preventing access to them.

As was also the English custom, graves were placed randomly in any available spot regardless of family relationship. Grave diggers would probe the soil with rods to determine whether or not a spot was occupied, and lay to rest the newly deceased when an available area was identified. Over time as space became a premium, bodies were laid on top of one another and grave markers became destroyed or misplaced in the process.Over the years, the burying ground was encroached upon by several forces, the first being by the First Church Society (Congregational) in 1712 when they petitioned to build a meeting house on the land. Granted the permission by the town, the church proceeded to build their meeting house atop land that held several gravesites. This was not viewed as a form a sacrilege but rather as an honor for those buried beneath the church, as in England, it was customary to bury renowned personages within churches.

Another portion of the burying ground was given over to build a school on Main Street just north of the church, followed by an adjacent strip of land along Main Street for retail establishments. When the Waverly Building was constructed at the corner of Main and Pearl Streets, several coffins and old bones were unearthed.By the 1890's the cemetery was not actively used and had become neglected. Gold Street at its southern border had become a sixteen-foot-wide alley of slums. A major effort, spearheaded by Emily Holcombe, a regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution, was undertaken to clean up the area and widen the street. In the process, remains of former generations were unearthed. Some were reburied within the cemetery while others were carted off to the dump.

However, the D.A.R. ladies improved the cemetery, including construction of an iron fence around its perimeter and memorial gate on Gold Street.

Since that time, efforts have been made to preserve the cemetery and pay tribute to the more than 6,000 individuals who were interred there.

For more information on the Ancient Burying Ground, visit their website.

Founders Monument

The original brownstone monument, erected in 1837, has been replaced by one of pink Connecticut granite. Inscribed on the obelisk are the names of the Founders of Hartford.