Wildwood Cemetery is an active non-profit cemetery in

Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst () is a New England town, town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,263, making it the highest populated municipality in Hampshire County (althoug ...

, United States, designed and laid out in the late 19th century.

History

Wildwood Cemetery is a non-denominational, not-for-profit, 81 acre cemetery located near the center of the college town of

. Wildwood is a serene setting atop a hill, just off Pleasant Street which abuts both

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

and University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Established in 1887 with the help of poet Emily Dickinson’s brother Austin, the landscape design was inspired by Fredrick Law Olmsted. It is an active cemetery with new lots available for purchase. Though there were initial plans for a chapel on site, this did not happen, so services are held graveside. Bird watchers and naturalists are drawn to the cemetery for the flora and fauna. Preserving the appearance and feel of the late nineteenth century guides cemetery decisions.

Notable interments

* Herbert Baxter Adams (1850-1901) Historian, author, Johns Hopkins University. * George Bosworth Churchill (1866-1925), Politician *

Henry Steele Commager Henry Steele Commager (1902–1998) was an American historian. As one of the most active and prolific liberal intellectuals of his time, with 40 books and 700 essays and reviews, he helped define modern liberalism in the United States. In the 19 ...

(1902-1998) Historian, author. *

Susan Huntington Gilbert Dickinson Susan Huntington Gilbert Dickinson (December 19, 1830 – May 12, 1913) was an American writer, poet, traveler, and editor. She was the sister-in-law of poet Emily Dickinson. Life Susan Huntington Gilbert was born December 19, 1830, in Old Dee ...

(1830-1913) Closest friend of Emily Dickinson, wife of Austin Dickinson * William Austin Dickinson (1829-1895) Attorney, Amherst College Treasurer, brother of Emily Dickinson *

Julius Hawley Seelye Julius Hawley Seelye (September 14, 1824 – May 12, 1895) was a missionary, author, United States Representative, and former president of Amherst College. The system of Latin honors in use at many universities worldwide is said to have been cr ...

(1824-1895), Politician * David Peck Todd (1855-1939) Astronomer and Amherst College professor.

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://www.wildwood-cemetery.com/ Cemeteries in Hampshire County, Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Amherst, Massachusetts Cemeteries established in the 19th century