Rural Cemetery is located on 180 Grove Street in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

. More than 13,000 people are buried at the cemetery, including congressmen, mayors, governors, and professional people.

History

The cemetery was incorporated in 1838 on the quiet outskirts of town, at the suggestion of

Edward D. Bangs Edward Dillingham Bangs (August 24, 1790 – April 1, 1838) was an American politician who served as the 6th Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth from 1824 to 1836. Early life Bangs was born on August 24, 1790, in Worcester, Massachusett ...

in 1837 to serve as the town's cemetery, the older cemeteries having been neglected, overpopulated, or trampled by livestock. David Waldo donated rolling, treed land he purchased for $1400 in September 1837. It was located on the road leading to Holden from Worcester, which was previously owned by Judge Timothy Paine. The state legislature passed the bill and signed by Governor

Edward Everett Edward Everett (April 11, 1794 – January 15, 1865) was an American politician, Unitarian pastor, educator, diplomat, and orator from Massachusetts. Everett, as a Whig, served as U.S. representative, U.S. senator, the 15th governor of Mass ...

to incorporate the "Proprietors of Rural Cemetery in Worcester". A portion of the land was set aside for a garden and the design included shrubs, trees and "other rural ornaments". A key goal in the founding 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 ...

was to create an ongoing memorial to the people who had passed in the trend established by "America's first garden cemetery" or "

", Mount Auburn Cemetery which was founded in Massachusetts in 1831 with classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain. By the 1860s rural cemeteries could be found on the outskirts of cities and smaller towns across the country. It was originally situated on 24 acres, and is now 40 acres in area.Blanche M. G. Linden.
Silent City on a Hill: Picturesque Landscapes of Memory and Boston's Mount Auburn Cemetery
'. Univ of Massachusetts Press; 2007. . p. 293.

Notable interments

* Charles Allen (1797–1869), United States House of Representatives *

George Bancroft George Bancroft (October 3, 1800 – January 17, 1891) was an American historian, statesman and Democratic politician who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state of Massachusetts and at the national and internati ...

(1800–1891), U.S. Secretary of the Navy, historian *

Abijah Bigelow Abijah Bigelow (December 5, 1775 – April 5, 1860) was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts. Born in Westminster in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, the son of Elisha and Sarah (Goodridge) Bigelow, Abijah Bigelow studied at Leicester ( ...

(1775–1860), U.S. Representative member * George B. Boomer (1832–1863),

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 of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

Brigadier General * Alexander Bullock (1816–1882),

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. Massachuset ...

* Jonas Gilman Clark (1815–1900), businessman, philanthropist and founder of Clark University * John Davis (1787–1854), United States House of Representatives, Governor of Massachusetts * John Milton Earle (1794–1874), businessman, abolitionist and statesman * Aldus Chapin Higgins (1872–1948), businessman and lawyer * John Woodman Higgins (1874–1961),

Higgins Armory Museum The Higgins Armory Museum is the name of a collection in the Worcester Art Museum. It was formerly a separate museum located in the nearby Higgins Armory Building in Worcester, Massachusetts, dedicated to the display of arms and armor. It was " ...

owner * Rockwood Hoar (1855–1906), United States House of Representatives member * Helen M. Knowlton (1832–1918), painter, author and educator *

Levi Lincoln Jr. Levi Lincoln Jr. (October 25, 1782 – May 29, 1868) was an American lawyer and politician from Worcester, Massachusetts. He was the 13th Governor of Massachusetts (1825–1834) and represented the state in the U.S. Congress (1834–1841). Li ...

(1772–1868), United States House of Representatives, Governor of Massachusetts *

Levi Lincoln Sr. Levi Lincoln Sr. (May 15, 1749 – April 14, 1820) was an American revolutionary, lawyer, and statesman from Massachusetts. A Democratic-Republican, he most notably served as Thomas Jefferson's first attorney general, and played a significant ro ...

(1749–1820), United States Attorney General, U.S. Secretary of State, Massachusetts Governor *

William Whitney Rice William Whitney Rice (March 7, 1826 – March 1, 1896) was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts. Born in Deerfield, Massachusetts, Rice attended Gorham Academy, Maine, and graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, in 1846. ...

(1826–1896), United States House of Representatives member * George W. Richardson (1808-1888), mayor of Worcester *

John Randolph Thayer John Randolph Thayer (March 9, 1845 – December 19, 1916) was a representative from Massachusetts. He was born in Douglas, Massachusetts and attended the common schools and Nichols Academy in Dudley. Thayer graduated from Yale College ...

(1845–1916), United States House of Representatives member *

Scofield Thayer Scofield Thayer (12 December 1889 in Worcester, Massachusetts – 9 July 1982 in Edgartown) was a wealthy American poet and publisher, best known for his art collection, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and as a publisher and editor of the l ...

(1889–1982), poet and publisher * Isaiah Thomas (1749–1831), American Revolutionary, newspaper publisher and author * Joseph H. Walker (1829–1899), United States House of Representatives member * Ruth Sawtell Wallis (1895 – 1978), anthropologist * Wilson Dallam Wallis (1886 – 1970), anthropologist *

George Hull Ward George Hull Ward (April 26, 1826 – July 3, 1863) was a soldier and Union officer in the American Civil War. Early life Ward was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and educated in the common schools. He married Emily E. Mayo on June 5, 1851 ...

(1826–1863), Brigadier General, Union Army * Charles G. Washburn (1906–1911), United States House of Representatives member * Robert M. Washburn (1868–1946), politician and writer *

Fanny Bullock Workman Fanny Bullock Workman (January 8, 1859 – January 22, 1925) was an American geographer, cartographer, explorer, travel writer, and mountaineer, notably in the Himalayas. She was one of the first female professional mountaineers; she not only e ...

(1859–1925), travel writer and mountaineer

References

External links

* https://www.facebook.com/Rural-Cemetery-Crematory-111672228864393/ * {{Coord, 42, 16, 51.29, N, 71, 48, 7.08, W, type:landmark, display=title Cemeteries in Worcester, Massachusetts Rural cemeteries

History

Notable interments

See also

References

Further reading

External links