The High Street Cemetery Tomb -- 1899

By John M. Holman, Contributing Writer

High Street Tomb

The High Street Cemetery Tomb

"HAMPTON .... July 22, 1899. Hampton's new tomb, which was completed last week, is a handsome substantial structure, and is one of the best in Rockingham County. It is situated some little distance north of the Dearborn Monument, and faces east. It can be seen in part from the road (High Street).

"The contractor for the building of the tomb was H. E. Fletcher of West Chelmsford, Mass. George L. F. Harriman of 22 Deer Street, Portsmouth, set the tomb up. It is of rough granite from West Chelmsford. The outside dimensions are as follows: Length, fifteen feet; width, eleven and one half feet; & height, six feet.

"The covering stones are twelve feet long, and outside they have a six-inch layer of Portland cement, forming a rounded top. At each of the four corners of the tomb is a granite pilaster.

"The north, south, and west sides each consists of a single panel of granite. These panels weigh seven tons apiece. The top stone extending along the front of the tomb above the door, is a rounding arch of granite. The inside walls are of the same rough granite, and the floor has a layer of Portland cement.

"The size and weight of the slabs of granite necessarily make them difficult to handle and it is surprising that they were uninjured during transportation. Altogether, the tomb is a very commendable piece of work, and the people of Hampton may well be proud of it."

(--The Hamptons' Union - July 29, 1899)

[The tomb is no longer used for its original intended purpose.]