Rural Cemetery is located on 180 Grove Street in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

. 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 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 Mas ...

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-19th century due to the overcrowding and health concerns of urban cemeteries, which tended to be churchyards. Rural cemeter ...

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 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 ...

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 Party (United States), Democratic politician who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state of Massachusetts ...

(1800–1891), U.S. Secretary of the Navy, historian * Abijah Bigelow (1775–1860),

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

member * George B. Boomer (1832–1863), Union Army Brigadier General * Alexander Bullock (1816–1882),

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The governor is the chief executive, head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonw ...

* Jonas Gilman Clark (1815–1900), businessman, philanthropist and founder of

Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research uni ...

* John Davis (1787–1854), United States House of Representatives, Governor of Massachusetts * John Milton Earle (1794–1874), businessman, abolitionist and statesman *

Andrew Haswell Green Andrew Haswell Green (October 6, 1820 – November 13, 1903) was an American lawyer, city planner, and civic leader who was influential in the development of New York City. Green was responsible for Central Park, the New York Public Library, ...

(1820-1903), lawyer, city planner, civic leader in New York City *

Aldus Chapin Higgins Aldus Chapin Higgins (December 7, 1872 – September 10, 1948) was an American lawyer, inventor, and businessman. Early life Aldus Higgins was born December 7, 1872, in Worcester, Massachusetts to Milton P. Higgins and Katherine Chapin. Milto ...

(1872–1948), businessman and lawyer * John Woodman Higgins (1874–1961),

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

owner * Rockwood Hoar (1855–1906), United States House of Representatives member * Helen M. Knowlton (1832–1918), painter, author and educator * Levi Lincoln Jr. (1772–1868), United States House of Representatives, Governor of Massachusetts * Levi Lincoln Sr. (1749–1820),

United States Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the Federal government of the United States, federal government. The attorney general acts as the princi ...

, U.S. Secretary of State, Massachusetts Governor * William Whitney Rice (1826–1896), United States House of Representatives member *

George W. Richardson George Richardson may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and literature * George Richardson (architect) (1737/8–c. 1813), Scottish architect and writer *George T. Richardson (1862–1938), American playwright, theatre critic, and journalist Milita ...

(1808–1888), mayor of Worcester * John Randolph Thayer (1845–1916), United States House of Representatives member *

Scofield Thayer Scofield Thayer (December 12, 1889 in Worcester, Massachusetts – July 9, 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 ...

(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 (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

* * {{Coord, 42, 16, 51, N, 71, 48, 7, W, type:landmark, display=title Cemeteries in Worcester, Massachusetts Rural cemeteries 1838 establishments in Massachusetts Cemeteries established in the 1830s

History

Notable interments

See also

References

Further reading

External links