Technically there is no South Cemetery. It is the name given to the huge collection of five Portsmouth cemeteries, public and privately owned, so large that there is a pond in the center. The Griffin family keeps the grounds immaculate, making it among the most morning or evening walks in town.

The extensive area includes -- Auburn Cemetery, Cotton’s Cemetery, Harmony Grove Cemetery, Proprietors’ Burying Ground and Sagamore Cemetery. Joggers trek down the grassy and rocky lanes that stretch between South Street and Little Harbor Road, with Sagamore and the saltwater inlet on the opposing sides. A thin path near the center leads to the estuary across from Little Harbor school.

Among the more famous tenants of the cemetery are Ruth Blay, the first and only woman hanged in the state of New Hampshire, who was executed on this very site. Robber baron Frank Jones has the tallest tomb stone. History buffs will also find the author of Brewster’s Rambles About Portsmouth, newspaper mogul FW Hartford, 19^th century comic actor Henry Clay Barnabee, Portsmouth furniture make Langley Boardman, Revolutionary War veteran George Fishley and two victims of the 1873 murders on Smuttynose Island. Plot records are available at the Portsmouth Public Library.

But you don’t need a map to enjoy the tranquil beauty

Photos by J. Dennis Robinson