Tour some of the most architecturally interesting burial stones, tablets and crypts in New England, at the Springfield Cemetery.
Once known as Peabody Cemetery, the Springfield Cemetery is one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the City of Springfield. Despite being located in the heart of the city, the cemetery itself was designed in the landscape tradition of the rural cemetery with sloping hills and meandering paths through the graves that date back to the first burial in 1841. Stones, tablets, and remains dating to 1664 were relocated from the Old First Church shortly after the opening of the cemetery.
Within the Springfield Cemetery’s unique landscape are some of the most architecturally interesting stones and burial crypts in New England, featuring traditional cemetery symbols mixed with modern motifs and designs. This tour of the cemetery highlights some of these, explaining the significance behind some of the most common (and not-so-common) symbols of death and mourning.
The tour will take place on Saturday, October 28th at 1:00pm. Please meet at the Cemetery main office, at 171 Maple St. Your tour guide will be Springfield Preservation Trust Board Member Katherine Anderson Benson. Special gratitude to local historian Paul Meagher for assistance with research.
