On July 1, 1846, the grave was dug up and revealed a man of medium height with long brown hair that matched his beard, whose "thick eyebrows almost met above his nose." (J.G. Palfrey, History of New England, II, at 534 n. 1 (1860), cited in Geoffrey Wandesforde-Smith, "Digging Up Dunster: The Vital Link Between Bury Grammar School, Harvard University, and Higher Education in America" (2007), p. 2, unpublished manuscript).
In his 1877 book, History of Cambridge, Cambridge historian Lucius R. Paige raised some doubt (pp. 266-269) as to this site actually being Dunster's gravesite, claiming that it might be Jonathan Mitchell's grave instead. Nevertheless, a special commemorative Latin tablet honoring Dunster was placed on the stone slab over the grave after the exhumation in 1846. That inscription, which was still somewhat legible as of 1986, had deteriorated considerably as of 2009.
Since there is no known drawing or contemporary description of Dunster, we cannot know for certain whether the grave is actually his or Mitchell's. There is no question that Dunster is buried on the Old Burying Yard, but regardless of the actual site, this is where he is honored and remembered today.
As noted in America's Oldest Corporation and First CEO: Harvard and Henry Dunster (2008), pp. 23-25, the current plaque (dedicated in 1993) on the gravesite is incorrect regarding Dunster's year of birth: it says "1612" instead of "1609." It had been hoped that this error might be corrected during the 400th anniversary year of Dunster's birth in 2009. That did not occur. However, the matter has been brought to Harvard's attention, and it is hoped that, at an appropriate time, a corrected plaque will be put in place.
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This page was last updated in January 2010