About our Cemetery

The St. Mary’s Churchyard and Cemetery is located on 20 acres of land that surround the church and parish house. Roughly organized in a symmetrical plan with hand-crafted stone walls on all sides, the graves have a variety of modest, yet beautiful stone plaques and exquisitely carved headstones.

The landscape of St. Mary's Churchyard is a virtual arboretum, with many specimen trees including several kinds of beech, maple, oak, chestnut, linden, umbrella pine, Kentucky coffee, dogwood, and various evergreens and flowering shrubs. Deer and wild turkeys have been seen at times, as well as a number of bird varieties. It is a beautiful place for a quiet peaceful visit.

The earliest grave markers belong to Mary Lawton Vinson and George Vinson and date to 1797 and 1816.  The Oldest Stones tells their story.

Sarah Gibbs, who donated the land on which St. Mary's sits, was a dedicated and fascinating woman.  Sarah Gibbs and Oakland Farm: Hospitality and Heartache tells the story of Sarah, her commitment to the Episcopal faith and her generous donation to the church.

Other famous people buried in St. Mary's cemetery include:

• Stephen Bleecker Luce (1827-1917). U.S. Navy Admiral and the first President of the Naval War College.
• McCarty Little (1845-1915). Founder of the Naval War College War gaming exercises.
• Mabel Norman Cerio (1876-1949). Founder of the Norman Bird Sanctuary.

 There are also markers honoring everyday people, priests, bishops and members of the congregation.  To find notable people interred in the cemetery, you may use an online document compiled by St. Mary's or visit Find-A-Grave.

For a virtual tour of this very special churchyard, click on the picture.