preservation guidelines for municipally owned historic burial grounds and cemeteries third edition These Guidelines are a publication of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) Commonwealth of Massachusetts Deval L. Patrick, Governor Timothy P. Murray, Lt. Governor Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian A. Bowles, Secretary Department of Conservation and Recreation Richard K. Sullivan, Commissioner Office of Cultural Resources, DCR Patrice Kish, Director Prepared by Walker-Kluesing Design Group for the DCR Historic Cemeteries Preservation Initiative. Cover Illustration: Steel engraving of "The First edition recipient of: Burial Hill" from The Pilgrim Fathers by William Honor Award for Landscape Planning, H. Bartlett, London 1854 [Boston Public Library/ American Society of Landscape Architects, 2000 Rare Books Department, Courtesy of the Trustees] Merit Award for Landscape Planning, June 2002, Second Edition, Boston Society of Landscape Architects, 2000 Expanded and Revised, 2009 Third Edition Memoral entrance gate Rvervew Cemetery, Groveland contents INTRODUCTION 1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ON BURIAL GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS Significance of Historic Burial Grounds and GROUND AND Cemetery DEVELOPMENT PERTAINING TO MUNICIPAL HISTORIC Cemeteries IN MASSACHUSETTS 5 BURIAL GROUND AND CEMETERY Massachusetts Historic Cemetery Preservation COMPONENTS 23 Initiative GUIDELINES FOR General Purpose and Goals of the Preservation Guide- PRESERVATION PLANNING 13 Landscape Character and Vegetation lines Documentation Access and Security Organization of the Document Evaluation Vandalism Decision Making Circulation Systems and Materials Grave Markers Grave Marker Conservation and Repair Structural Elements Buildings Fences and Gates Site Amenities Utilities A Concluding Cautionary Note ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT CASE STUDIES 73 APPENDIX POLICY ISSUES Preface 74 Grave Marker Inventory 321 AND recommendations 67 First Burial Ground, Woburn [1642] 75 Methodology Administrative Management Vine Lake Cemetery, Medfield [1651] 83 Description of Inventory Form Friends Groups and Citizen Participation East Parish Burial Ground, Newton [1660] 93 Reverse of Inventory Form Funding Spring Hill Cemetery, Marlborough [c1660] 103 Daily Work Schedule Working with Volunteers Riverside Cemetery, Sunderland [1714] 111 Sample Forms Resources Prospect Hill Cemetery, Millis [c1714] 117 Sample Permit Application to Restore Elm Street Cemetery, Braintree [1716] 127 and/or Reproduce Gravestones Walnut Street Cemetery, Brookline [1717] 137 Sample MHC Form E Center Cemetery, Brimfield [1720] 149 Selected Bibliography 331 Old Burying Grounds, Littleton [1721] 155 Old Burial Ground, East Bridgewater [c1724] 163 Old Parish Burying Ground, Rockport [c1732] 173 Corbin Cemetery, Dudley [c1735] 179 Chocksett Cemetery, Sterling [1736] 187 Old Burial Ground, Sturbridge [c1740] 195 Old Cemetery, Spencer [1742] 203 Center Cemetery, Douglas [c1746] 211 New Marlborough Cemetery, New Marlborough [1755] 219 Pope Cemetery, Peabody [1755] 227 High Street Cemetery, Danvers [1758] 233 Village Cemetery, Tisbury [c1770] 241 Center and Ringville Cemeteries, Worthington [c1770] 249 Oak Ridge Cemetery, Southbridge [1801] 259 Roxanna C. Mye, Pocknett and William Jones Burial Grounds, Mashpee [c1800s] 271 Riverside Cemetery, North Chelmsford [c1841] 279 Greenlawn Cemetery, Nahant [1858] 287 State Hospital Burial Ground, Northampton [c1858] 295 Glenwood Cemetery, Maynard [1871] 301 Glenwood Cemetery, Everett [1890] 311 All of the contemporary photographs n ths publca- ton were provded by Walker-Kluesng Desgn Group, except as otherwse noted. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This plan builds upon the work of staff, agencies, organizations and notable individuals who as- sisted with the preparation of this document. Professor Keith Morgan LOCAL COMMUNITIES Department of Art History, Boston University Margaret O. Alexander, Historic Commission, STATEWIDE ADVISORY COMMITTEE Eric O’Brien, Director East Bridgewater Debbie Cary, Director Massachusetts Recreation Park Association Christy Anderson, Trustee, Riverside Cemetery, Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary [1997-2001] Sunderland Massachusetts Audubon Society / former Leslie Reed-Evans, Director John Archer, Historic Commission, Danvers DEM Board Member Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation [1997- Wilma Armer, East Bridgewater Margaret Dyson, former President 1999] Dorothy Baldini, Trustee, Cemetery Commis- Historic Massachusetts, Inc. [1999-2001] Phillip Rodbell, Director of Urban Forestry sion, Brookline Susan Edwards, Director of Historic Resources Department of Environmental Management Tanya G. Beecher, Friends of Northampton The Trustees of Reservations [1997-2000] State Hospital Burial Ground, Northampton Corliss Engle, Horticulturist and Garden Writer Clarissa Rowe, Chair of the Board Kate Begin, Trustee, Cemetery Commission, Dr. Julius Gy. Fabos Historic Massachusetts, Inc. [2000-2001] Brookline Department of Landscape Architecture, Uni- Jennifer Jillson Soper, Regional Planner Ann Birkner, Historical Commission, Peabody versity of Massachusetts [1997-2000] Executive Office of EnvironmentalAffairs Paul V. Boothroyd, Historic Commission, May- Elsa Fitzgerald, Assistant Director [1998-2001] nard Massachusetts Historical Commission Michael Steinitz, Survey Director Donald J. Borchelt, Executive Director, Woburn Betsy Shure Gross, Special Assistant to the Sec- Massachusetts Historical Commission Redevelopment Authority, Woburn retary for Community Preservation Liz Vizza, ASLA Maureen Boundis, Cemetery Commission, Executive Office of EnvironmentalAffairs Boston Society of Landscape Architects [1997- Dudley James W. Igoe, President 2000] Bob Briere, Historic Commission, Sturbridge Historic Massachusetts, Inc. Wes Ward, Director for Land Conservation Rosemary H. Burns, Historical Commission, Robin Karson, Director The Trustees of Reservations [1997-2000] Mashpee Library of American Landscape History James E. Casselman, Landscape Architect, Park Edith Makra, Urban Forestry Program Coordi- MASSACHUSETTS Historical COMMIS- and Forestry, Brookline nator /Department of Environmental Man- SION Betty Cassidy, Historical Commission, Peabody agement Cara Metz, Executive Director and State His- Laura Centofanti, Coordinator, Mayor’s Office Professor John Martin toric Preservation Officer of Community Development, Everett Department of Landscape Architecture, Uni- Betsy Friedberg, Director, National Register Hamer D. Clarke, Director, Department of Pub- versity of Massachusetts [1997-2001] Program lic Works, Southbridge Judith McDonough, former Executive Director Ed Bell, Senior Archaeologist Charles Clemens, Historic Commission, Dan- and State Historic Preservation Officer vers Massachusetts Historical Commission OTHER REVIEWERS John J. Clifford, East Bridgewater Lauren Meier, Historical Landscape Architect James C. Fannin, Jr., Senior Associate, Fannin- Marty Coulbourn, Historic Commission, Rock- National Park Service, Olmsted Center for Lehner/Association for Gravestone Studies port Landscape Preservation Janet Heywood, Director of Interpretive Pro- Mark Cullinan, Town Administrator, Nahant Nora Mitchell, former Director grams, Mount Auburn Cemetery Al Dapolito, Historic Commission, Rockport National Park Service, Olmsted Center for Meg Winslow, Curator of Collections, Elizabeth Debski, Director, Mayor’s Office of Landscape Preservation [1997-1999] Mount Auburn Cemetery Community Development, Everett Frank Feakes, Historical Society, Worthington James Malloy, Town Administrator, Sturbridge J. P. Welch, Cemetery Commission, Worthing- Marsha Feakes, Historical Society, Worthington John Manning, Douglas ton Wayne M. Feiden, Director, Office of Planning Bob Melker, Massachusetts Department of Men- Christopher White, General Foreman, Forestry, and Development, Northampton tal Health, Northampton Parks and Cemeteries, Marlborough Thelma Fleishman, Newton Roland Nelson, Historical Commission, Sterling Jean White, East Bridgewater Gerard P. Flood, Assistant Superintendent of John Ormsby, Selectman, New Marlborough Ann M. Whitlow, Mashpee Historical Commis- Public Works, Maynard Henry Pelletier, Cemetery Manager, Brimfield sion, Mashpee C. Vernon Gaw, Historical Commission, Ster- Ted Porter, Worthington Robert Whritenour, Jr., Town Administrator, ling Leigh Potter, Chair, Cemetery Commission, Mashpee Dick Graves, Trustee, Riverside Cemetery, Mashpee Paul R. Willis, Director, Park, Forestry, Cem- Sunderland William Power, Chairman, Historical Commis- etery, Conservation, Brookline Harry Green, Cemetery Commission, New sion, Peabody Jack Zajkowski, Selectman, Dudley Marlborough Irving Priest, Assistant Director, Millis Fran Zanker, Department of Public Works, Marl- Nancy Hall, Chair, William Street Historic Dis- Carlton M. Ray, Director of Public Works, Rock- borough trict Commission, Tisbury port Deborak Zompa, Assistant Planner, Danvers Lucy Hankee, Cemetery Commission, New Roger Reed, Preservation Planner, Brookline Marlborough Mary Rose, Douglas John B. Hayes, Caretaker, East Bridgewater Gretchen Schuler, Preservation Planner, Depart- Walter C. Higgins, Littleton ment of Planning and Development, Newton D. Kerry Holland, Massachusetts Department Alan Scott, Massachusetts Department of Men- of Mental Health, Northampton tal Health, Northampton Barbara L. Hopson, Massachusetts Department Elizabeth H. Sillin, Chair, Sunderland Historic CONSULTANT TEAM of Food and Agriculture,