This cemetery was established in 1879 for the burial of seafarers who perished at sea or who died at the Marine Hospital after being injured or becoming ill aboard ships calling at Martha's Vineyard. Most of those buried here came from other countries. The Marine Hospital closed in 1952, and the Boston Seaman's Friend Society assumed ownership of the cemetery in 1957. The graves were originally marked by wooden headboards, which were later replaced by numbered cement markers after the wood deteriorated.