Cemetery History

Holyhood Cemetery Chapel // 1857

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Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts, was laid out in 1857 under the direction of Father Joseph M. Finotti, pastor of Assumption Parish , which included Brookline and Brighton. The cemetery reflects the mid-19th century influence of the Rural Cemetery movement and the romantic landscape cemetery planning begun at Cambridge’s Mount Auburn Cemetery in the 1830’s. A plan of the cemetery was drawn up by Shedd & Edson and published in August 1857. It shows curvilinear avenues and paths named after former bishops of Boston and Biblical figures. All were welcome to be buried except those who “died in a state of Drunkenness, Duel, or by self-destruction, unbaptized, non-Catholic, or otherwise opposed to the Catholic Church.” In the 1857 Shedd & Edson plan for Holyhood Catholic Cemetery, a chapel was located at the center on the hill shown in a small drawing on the edge of the plan. Known as St. Joseph’s Chapel, the stone building was designed by Patrick Keely, the successful and influential New York architect of many mid-19th century Catholic churches. The chapel would be dedicated in 1862. Decades later, a cemetery office was planned and built across Heath Street from the cemetery gates, but was demolished sometime in the 20th century. The cemetery grew and it along with the mid-19th century chapel, has been lovingly maintained to this day.  

Chapin Mausoleum // 1914

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The Chapin Mausoleum was built as a memorial to Chester and Dorcas Chapin by their son, Chester W. Chapin Jr. Located in the Chicopee Street Cemetery in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the otherwise ordinary burial ground is adorned by this stately mausoleum, which was designed by none other than Louis Comfort Tiffany. Chester W. Chapin, the father of the mausoleum builder, was one of the Connecticut Valley’ s most important 19th century businessmen. After more humble beginnings operating a store, Chapin operated a business for coaches and steamboats, and later, he became president and director of the Western Railroad Corporation (1854 to 1867), and president of the Boston and Albany Railroad Company (1868 to 1878). He was elected as a Democrat to the US House of Representatives and served from 1875 to March 3, 1877. His son, Chester Williams Chapin (1842-1922), followed his father’s footsteps and serves as president of the New York & New Haven Steamship Company and one of the organizers of the Central New England Railroad. Chapin Jr. hired Louis Comfort Tiffany to design and decorate this mausoleum as a memorial to his parents, in the cemetery where hundreds of family members are buried in Chicopee. The mausoleum is constructed of “Tiffany granite”, from a granite quarry in Cohasset that Tiffany Studios purchased in 1914. The entrance to the mausoleum is through a Romanesque portico complete with round arches, stocky columns, and Favrile glass mosaics on the sides. Two marble benches flank a specially designed Tiffany bronze door. Inside, it is said that there are 12 catacombs of richly veined white marble under a Favrile glass mosaic ceiling.

Spaulding Memorial Chapel // 1910

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Located within the Fairview Cemetery in Chicopee, Massachusetts, this lovely memorial chapel serves as an everlasting love letter from one spouse to another. Justin Spaulding (1838-1906) was a wealthy grocer who operated stores locally and amassed quite a sizable fortune. He and his wife, Sarah Elizabeth (Cooley) Spaulding, lived in a large Queen Anne home and would bequeath substantial funds to the City in their will. Justin died in 1906, and Sarah would die a year later, and as they do not appear to have had any children, they became benefactors to the town, partially funding the construction of the town’s first purpose-built library and this memorial chapel in the Fairview Cemetery. Over $6,000 was spent on this chapel, with plans drawn by architects Eugene Clarence Gardner and his son, George C. Gardner. The Classical Revival building is constructed of yellow brick with stone trim and ornament, with a notable eternal flame motif in the gable.

Copp’s Hill Burying Ground // 1659

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Happy Halloween! Welcome to Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, a historic cemetery nestled in Boston’s historic North End. Established in 1659, it served as a burial site for some of Boston’s earliest settlers and notable figures, including craftsmen, merchants, and members of the influential Mather family. Also burie here is abolitionist and leader in the free black community in Boston, Prince Hall. Originally called North Burying Ground, Copp’s Hill was the second place of interment on the Boston peninsula and was laid out in 1659. The area acquired its present name through its association with William Copp (1589-1670), a shoemaker and early settler who lived near today’s Prince Street; ironically, his stone is no longer standing.

The cemetery is particularly known for its distinct slate gravestones, many adorned with intricate carvings that reflect the artistry of the era. Over the centuries, it has witnessed significant events, including the American Revolution, when it was used as a lookout point for British troops. During the Revolution, the burying ground’s prominent location overlooking the harbor gave it strategic military importance. At its southwest side the British established their North Battery and an earthworks from which they directed the shelling of Bunker Hill and ultimately the torching of Charlestown. Legend has it that British troops used gravestones for target practice. Many have interpreted the round scars on the gravestone of Captain Daniel Malcolm, an ardent son of liberty who spoke against Britain, as the result of musketballs shot at close range. The cemetery was used continually until the 1850s and is today, an evocative reminder of Boston’s early days, drawing visitors who seek to connect with the city’s storied history amidst its tranquil surroundings while the city stretches upwards around it. The cemetery is open and free to visit most of the year and is a great place to stroll and learn about Boston’s early history and see amazing stone carving!

Highland Cemetery Chapel // 1903

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Tucked away in Highland Cemetery, a typical looking cemetery in Norwood, Massachusetts, you will find a masterpiece chapel designed by one of the great architects of the Arts & Crafts movement. The Highland Cemetery was established in 1880 becoming the town’s second and primary burial ground. The town’s first burial ground was the Old Parish Cemetery which is located in the center of town on a 3/4-acre hill and because of its limited size and the difficult terrain; there was no room for growth. The rapidly developing town required a second cemetery and laid out Highland View on the outskirts of the village. In 1903, the Chapel of St. Gabriel the Archangel, also known as the Day Memorial Chapel, was erected at the center of the cemetery. The Chapel, which also acts as a mausoleum, was donated to the town by Lewis and Anna Smith Day in memory of their parents. Their only stipulation was that the chapel be available for use free of charge for any resident who desired to do so, no matter their religion or race. Esteemed architect Ralph Adams Cram designed the chapel in the Neo Gothic Revival style. Fred Holland Day, a renowned photographer and publisher, was the only child born to Lewis and Anna and he was a close friend of Ralph Adams Cram and Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, likely leading to their commission here in Norwood. F. Holland Day lived in a Tudor mansion in town, modified from his childhood home. The Cemetery Chapel remains a seminal building for its genre and time.

Card Memorial Chapel // 1898

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Cemetery chapels are fairly uncommon, but always a must-see when exploring a new place. These small charming buildings help bridge the gap between life and death and are often adorned with a permanence not seen in our lifetimes. This is the Card Memorial Chapel in the Spring Brook Cemetery of Mansfield, Massachusetts. The chapel was erected in 1898 as a memorial to 31-year-old Mary Lewis Card, who died in 1896. Mary’s parents, Simon W. Card and Mary J. Card, founded S.W. Card Manufacturing Company in 1874. The Mansfield-based company did very well and manufactured tap and die tools locally, shipping them all over the country. Before her abrupt death, Mary Lewis Card was set to marry architect Charles Eastman, who is credited with designing the memorial to his late-fiance. The chapel borrows from the Romanesque and Victorian Gothic styles, and is constructed of red brick laid with a tinted mortar atop a foundation of Quincy granite. The various roof sections are sheathed in green slate. The building displays a cross plan with a central tower rising forty-two feet from the ground to the apex, topped by a steeply pitched pyramidal roof. The building was restored years ago and still looks great!

Quabbin Park Cemetery Building // 1940

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By the early 1900s, metropolitan Boston’s demands for freshwater began exceed its supply, causing the state legislature to look for other sources of water to supply the metro’s population growth. A 1922 study endorsed the Swift River Valley (Quabbin area) as the best location for a new reservoir that could supply Massachusetts with fresh water, but there was one issue, there were towns and people living there. To create the Quabbin Reservoir, the depressed land would need to be flooded, this required over 80,000 acres of land to be purchased or seized by eminent domain by 1938. Four towns: Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott were disincorporated and their excess land not flooded was added to surrounding municipalities. In total, an estimated 2,500 residents lost their homes as part of the flooding. Not all elements of the towns were destroyed, however. Town memorials and cemeteries in the four towns were moved to Quabbin Park Cemetery, in Ware, a short distance from the Quabbin Reservoir. Many other public buildings were moved intact to other locations (like those in Dorset, Vermont featured previously). In the over 80,000 acres that were flooded, the Commonwealth had to relocate an estimated 7,500 burials in over 35 cemeteries in these flooded towns. Bodies were removed from their respective locations, and intered in the new Quabbin Park Cemetery, built by the Commission in 1932 with grounds designed by landscape architect Arthur A. Shurcliff. An area for unknown graves and a memorial area at the entrance to the cemetery also contains public war monuments from the abandoned towns. This service building was added to the cemetery from designs by architect Frederick Kingsbury who died during its construction.