Bunker Hill may be home to colonial graves

BOSTON, March 8 (UPI) -- A Bunker Hill garden in Boston may be covering a mass grave containing remains of Colonial-era British soldiers, sources say.

The Boston Globe reported Sunday that the site, located in the Charlestown neighborhood on Boston's north side, is believed to be a former battlefield. Charlestown, originally a separate town that was the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, was annexed by Boston in 1874.

The newspaper said a curator, Erik Goldstein, and a historian, Chris Anderson, say they believe at least a dozen Redcoats may have been killed and buried at the site.

"No wonder our plants grow so well," said Anne McMahon, when told that long-forgotten remains are believed to lie beneath her rose bushes.

Marjorie Ringrose, whose 1839 home sits just downhill from Monument Square, said she is not likely to help archaeologists or historians if they want to dig on her property.

"We're not going to have the garden torn up," Ringrose was quoted as saying. "We live out there. That's one of the most peaceful things about this home."