NEWBURYPORT — A narrative history tour of a Colonial graveyard dating back to 1740 takes place Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 166 High St.
The tour begins with a history of St. Paul’s parish from its founding in 1711 in British America during the reign of Queen Anne through the Revolutionary period before visiting the gravesites of early Newburyporters.
Hear about the shipbuilders and merchants who amassed tremendous wealth, revolutionary leaders like Tristram Dalton, who became the first senator from Massachusetts, loyalists whose lives were impoverished and shattered by the Revolution, the Newburyport sea captain who transported Thomas Jefferson to Paris in 1783, and the gravesite of the only known African-American buried in the graveyard.
The tour will tell the story of the Rev. Edward Bass, who became the first Episcopal bishop of Massachusetts. During the Revolution, he had to choose between his loyalty to the crown and his devotion to his church and congregation.
Gather at 1:30 p.m. at the front doors of the Church. The tour is free. For more information, call 978-697-4084.