Oak Grove Cemetery is a historic cemetery located at 765 Prospect Street in

Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States census, making it the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, tenth-largest city in the state, and the second- ...

. It was established in 1855 and greatly improved upon in the years that followed. It features

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

elements, including an elaborate entrance arch constructed of locally quarried

Fall River granite Fall River granite is a Precambrian bedrock underlying the City of Fall River, Massachusetts and surrounding areas along the eastern shores of Narragansett Bay. It was formed 600 million years ago, as part of the Avalon terrane. During the 19th ...

. The cemetery originally contained 47 acres, but has since been expanded to over 120 acres. The cemetery is the city's most significant, built in the planned rural-garden style of

Mount Auburn Cemetery Mount Auburn Cemetery, located in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, is the first rural or garden cemetery in the United States. It is the burial site of many prominent Boston Brahmins, and is a National Historic Landmark. Dedicated in ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

. It was designed and laid out by local architect Josiah Brown, who is also known for his designs of early mills including the Union,

Border City A border town is a town or city close to the boundary between two countries, states, or regions. Usually the term implies that the nearness to the border is one of the things the place is most famous for. With close proximities to a different coun ...

, and others.MHC Inventory Form
/ref> Oak Grove Cemetery is the final resting place of many of the city's elite, including prominent mill owners and merchants. It also contains the city's Civil War Monument, donated by Richard Borden. The cemetery was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1983. It is still owned and operated by the City of Fall River.

Notable burials

* Thomas Almy (1819–1882), co-founder of

The Herald News The smaller of the two main newspapers in Massachusetts' South Coast, ''The Herald News'' is a daily newspaper based in Fall River, Massachusetts. Its coverage area includes Fall River and the nearby towns of Dighton, Freetown, Somerset, Swan ...

. * Abby Durfee Borden (1828–1892), second wife of Andrew Jackson Borden and murder victim. * Andrew Jackson Borden (1822–1892), businessman and murder victim. * Nathaniel Briggs Borden (1801–1865), Mayor of Fall River (1856–1857), US Congressman, and founder of Pocasset Mill. * Colonel Richard Borden (1795–1874), industrial pioneer, businessman. *

Lizzie Borden Lizzie Andrew Borden (July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927) was an American woman who was Trial, tried and Acquittal, acquitted of the August 4, 1892 axe murders of her Patricide, father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No one else was c ...

(1860–1927), alleged (acquitted) murderer. * Emma Borden (1851–1927), sister of

, daughter of Andrew and Sarah Borden. * Sarah Morse Borden (1823–1863), first wife of Andrew Jackson Borden and mother of

and Emma Borden. * Spencer Borden (1872–1952), manufacturer, delegate to 1924 Republication National Convention, served as director on boards of a number of local concerns. *

Charlie Buffinton Charles G. Buffinton (June 14, 1861 – September 23, 1907) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1882 to 1892. One of the workhorse pitchers of the 1880s, he won 20 games seven times and his 1,700 career strikeouts ...

(1861–1907), Major League Baseball player. *

James Buffington James Lawrence Buffington (May 15, 1922, Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania – July 20, 1981, Englewood, New Jersey) was an American jazz, studio, and classical hornist. Buffington was a busy studio and jazz player on the French horn. He was an auto ...

(1817–1875), the first mayor of Fall River. * Earle Perry Charlton (1863–1930), founder of E. P. Charlton & Co. 5 & 10 stores chain. Through mergers, he became a co-founder of the

F. W. Woolworth Company The F. W. Woolworth Company (often referred to as Woolworth's or simply Woolworth) was a retail company and one of the pioneers of the five-and-dime store. It was among the most successful American and international five-and-dime businesses, se ...

. * Benjamin Cook, a District Court judge. * Sarah M. Cornell (1803–1832), found murdered on the John Durfee Farm in nearby Tiverton, Newport County, RI. She was originally buried there and moved to Oak Grove. * Robert T. Davis (1823–1906), mayor of Fall River and United States Representative from Massachusetts. * Bradford Matthew Chaloner Durfee (1843–1872), born into a wealthy and influential Fall River family, he was a philanthropist who died in his prime. As a memorial, his mother had the local school board erect the B. M. C Durfee High School. * Nathan Durfee (1799–1876), early industrialist and deacon of Central Congregational Church. *

William Thomas Grant William Thomas Grant (1876–1972) was the founder of a chain of U.S. mass-merchandise stores bearing his name, W. T. Grant, and an important American philanthropist. Biography Grant was born in Stevensville, Bradford County, Pennsylvani ...

(1876–1972), founder of W. T. Grant Department Store chain and philanthropist. * William S. Greene (1841–1924), United States Representative from Massachusetts, also mayor of Fall River. * Cornelius Hargraves (1809–1874), an immigrant from England who, in 1851, founded Hargraves Manufacturing Company, a soap and glue substitute manufacturing operation. * Reuben Hargraves (1834–1905) and Thomas Hargraves (1836–1904), sons of Cornelius Hargraves are buried in the Hargraves Mausoluem. * Mary Evelyn Hitchcock (1849–1920), author and explorer * James Holehouse (1839–1915), received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for bravery at the

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Confederate General Robert E. Lee's risky decision to divide h ...

on May 3, 1863. He was a private in Company B, 7th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. * Grace Hartley Howe (1874–1955), wife of Louie Howe and delegate to the 1936 Democratic National Convention. * Louis McHenry ("Louie") Howe (1871–1936), political strategist who masterminded

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

's 1932 presidential election. He was the only close friend both FDR and

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

shared in common. * Andrew Jackson Jennings (1849–1923), noted local attorney, now best remembered for successfully defending Lizzie Borden. *

Lewis Howard Latimer Lewis Howard Latimer (September 4, 1848 – December 11, 1928) was an American inventor and patent draftsman. His inventions included an evaporative air conditioner, an improved process for manufacturing carbon filaments for electric light bul ...

(1848–1928), African-American inventor and engineer who collaborated with

Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (; born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born Canadian Americans, Canadian-American inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He als ...

and

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, ...

. * John O. Milne, co-founder of

. * Lt. Joseph S. Milne (1842–1863), mortally wounded at Pickett's Charge, Battle of Gettysburg; died July 8, 1863, temporarily attached to Battery B 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery. * James Madison Morton (1837–1923), an Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. * James Madison Morton, Jr. (1869–1940), a Federal judge. * Maude Frances Darling Parlin (1885–1979), pioneer female architect and 1907 M.I.T. graduate who designed many Fall River buildings and homes. *

Cornelia Otis Skinner Cornelia Otis Skinner (May 30, 1899 – July 9, 1979) was an American writer and actress. Biography Skinner was born on 30 May 1899 in Chicago, Illinois as the only child of actor Otis Skinner and actress Maud Durbin. After attending the all-gi ...

(1899–1979), actress, biographer, dramatist, essayists, novels, and screenwriter.

Notable monuments

F. H. Stafford
(d. 1892), owner of Stafford Mills, is shaped like a textile mill building
Friends of Oak Grove Cemetery
page on the Stafford memorial.

References

External links

Friends of Oak Grove Cemetery~An Historic Victorian Cemetery in Fall River, MassachusettsOak Grove Cemetery History

Find-A-Grave
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Fall River, Massachusetts Cemeteries in Bristol County, Massachusetts Tourist attractions in Fall River, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Fall River, Massachusetts Rural cemeteries Cemeteries established in the 1850s 1859 establishments in Massachusetts

Notable burials

Notable monuments

See also

References

External links