Lowell Cemetery is a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

located in Lowell,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. Founded in 1841 and located on the banks of the

Concord River The Concord River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed October 3, 2011 tributary of the Merrimack River in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. The river drains ...

, the cemetery is one of the oldest garden cemeteries in the nation, inspired by

Mount Auburn Cemetery Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural cemetery, rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middl ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. Many of Lowell's wealthy industrialists are buried here, under ornate Victorian tombstones. A portion of the cemetery was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1998.

Description and history

The cemetery is located in the central eastern part of the city, roughly bounded on the north by Fort Hill Park, on the east by Shedd Park, on the south by railroad tracks, and on the west by the

, from which it is separated by Lawrence Street, where its historic main gate is located. It occupies 84 acres of rolling terrain, much of which has been developed. The main gate is a monumental granite structure designed by C. W. Painter and built in 1862. There is a secondary gate on Knapp Avenue at the cemetery's northeast corner, which was added in 1905. There are two buildings in the cemetery: the Talbot Memorial Chapel (1885) and the Superintendent's Office (1887), both Gothic Revival structures designed by

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

architect Frederick Stickney. Roadways in the cemetery were laid out to take advantage of the natural terrain, occasionally providing vistas. The main circulation route, Washington Avenue, roughly encircles the property, with several roads providing access across the central areas. The cemetery was laid out in 1841 to a design by George P. Worcester, a civil engineer, applying principles of the

rural cemetery A rural cemetery or garden cemetery is a style of cemetery that became popular in the United States and Europe in the mid-nineteenth century due to the overcrowding and health concerns of urban cemeteries. They were typically built one to five ...

movement that was then just coming into vogue. The cemetery has a wide variety of funerary art in diverse styles, from typical Victorian forms to the Egyptian Revival and Art Deco. Many prominent Lowell residents of the 19th and 20th centuries are interred here. Bonney Monument, Lowell Cemetery, Lowell, MA - March 2016

Bonney Monument, Lowell Cemetery, Lowell, MA - March 2016

Notable burials

* Henry Livermore Abbott - Brevet

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Charles Herbert Allen Charles Herbert Allen (April 15, 1848 – April 20, 1934) was an American politician and businessman. After serving in state and federal elected positions, he was appointed as the first United States-appointed civilian governor of Puerto Rico w ...

- Congressman; First US civilian governor of Puerto Rico *

Frederick Ayer Frederick Ayer (December 8, 1822 – March 14, 1918) was an American businessman and the younger brother of patent medicine tycoon Dr. James Cook Ayer. Early life Ayer was born on December 8, 1822 in Ledyard, Connecticut and was the son of ...

- Industrialist; co-founder of the

American Woolen Company The American Woolen Company is a designer, manufacturer and distributor of men’s and women’s worsted and woolen fabrics. Based in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, the company operates from the 160-year-old Warren Mills, which it acquired from Lo ...

James Cook Ayer James Cook Ayer (May 5, 1818 – July 3, 1878) was the wealthiest patent medicine businessman of his day. Early life James Cook Ayer was born in Groton, Connecticut on May 5, 1818, the son of Frederick Ayer (1792-1825) and Persis Herrick Coo ...

- patent medicine tycoon *

Benjamin Dean Benjamin Dean (August 14, 1824 – April 9, 1897) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts. Early life Born in Clitheroe, Lancashire, England, U.K., fifth child of Alice Lofthouse and Benjamin Dean, he moved ...

- Congressman *

James B. Francis James Bicheno Francis (May 18, 1815 – September 18, 1892) was a British-American civil engineer, who invented the Francis turbine. Early years James Francis was born in South Leigh, near Witney, Oxfordshire, in England, United Kingdom. ...

- chief engineer of

Proprietors of Locks and Canals The Proprietors of Locks and Canals on Merrimack River is a limited liability corporation founded on June 27, 1792, making it one of the oldest corporations in the United States. Its named incorporators were Dudley Atkins Tyng, William Coombs, Jose ...

* Frederic T. Greenhalge - Congressman and

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachusetts ...

* Chauncey Langdon Knapp - Congressman *

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism ...

- Congressman *

John Jacob Rogers John Jacob Rogers (August 18, 1881 – March 28, 1925) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts. Life and career Rogers was born in Lowell, Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard U ...

- Congressman *

Edith Nourse Rogers Edith Rogers (née Nourse; March 19, 1881 – September 10, 1960) was an American social welfare Volunteering, volunteer and politician who served in the United States Congress. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Massachusetts ...

- Congressman *

Augustin Thompson Augustin Thompson (Union, Maine on November 25, 1835 – June 8, 1903) was a physician, businessman and philanthropist who created the Moxie soft drink and the company that manufactured it (now part of the Kirin Holdings Company of Tokyo, Japan). ...

- inventor of

Moxie Moxie is a brand of carbonated beverage that is among the first mass-produced soft drinks in the United States. It was created around 1876 by Augustin Thompson as a patent medicine called "Moxie Nerve Food" and was produced in Lowell, Massac ...

* Paul Tsongas - United States Senator *

Tappan Wentworth Theodore Trapplan "Tappan" Michael Wentworth (February 24, 1802 – June 12, 1875) was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts. Biography Wentworth was born in Dover, New Hampshire, on February 24, 1802. He received a liberal schooling, and ...

- Congressman * Robert Leighton - Owner of Norcross and Leighton

Gallery

File:The Ayer Lion Monument, Lowell Cemetery, Lowell, MA (August 2019).jpg, ''Ayer Lion'' Monument to

(1880),

Albert Bruce-Joy Albert Bruce-Joy (21 August 1842 – 22 July 1924) was an Irish sculptor working in England. His original surname was Joy but he became known under his hyphenated name Bruce-Joy later in life. He was the brother of the painter George W. Joy. ...

, sculptor. File:Storey Memorial by Evelyn Longman, Lowell Cemetery, Lowell, MA - March 2016.JPG, Storey Memorial (1905),

Evelyn Beatrice Longman Evelyn Beatrice Longman (November 21, 1874 – March 10, 1954) was a sculptor in the U.S. Her allegorical figure works were commissioned as monuments and memorials, adornment for public buildings, and attractions at art expositions in early 20th ...

, sculptor. File:Mill Girl Monument to Louisa Maria Wells by Evelyn Longman, Lowell Cemetery, Lowell, MA - March 2016.JPG, ''Mill Girl'' Monument to Louisa Maria Wells (1906),

, sculptor. File:Seated Woman Monument, Lowell Cemetery, Lowell, MA - March 2016.JPG, Seated Woman Monument (1916),

Francis Edwin Elwell Francis Edwin Elwell (also cited as Frank Edwin Elwell) (June 15, 1858, Concord, Massachusetts – January 23, 1922, Darien, Connecticut) was an American sculptor, teacher, and author. He lectured on art at Harvard University, and taught modelin ...

, sculptor.

References

External links

* {{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Lowell, Massachusetts Cemeteries in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Tourist attractions in Lowell, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Lowell, Massachusetts Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts 1841 establishments in Massachusetts Rural cemeteries

Description and history

Notable burials

Gallery

See also

References

External links