Springfield Cemetery is located in the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

Valley city of

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

. The cemetery opened in 1841 and was planned on the model of a

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 ...

. With the relocation of remains from the city's earliest burying ground, the cemetery became the final resting place for many of Springfield's 17th and 18th century pioneer settlers.

History

The Springfield Cemetery was designed in the landscaped tradition of the

, evoking a pastoral, garden environment in an urban setting. The cemetery is located on a plot of land once owned by Martha Ferre and known as ‘Martha’s Dingle’. A dingle is a small wooded valley, a dell. The land was purchased from Alexander Bliss on May 28, 1841 for the purpose of establishing the cemetery. The first burial occurred on September 6, 1841, Early in its history the cemetery was also known as ‘Peabody Cemetery’, in recognizer of one of its founders, Rev. William Peabody, a local Unitarian minister. In 1848 the remains of Springfield's earliest European settlers were transferred to the cemetery from the Old Burying Ground by the Connecticut River. Relocated remains included those of Mary Holyoke, daughter of

William Pynchon William Pynchon (October 11, 1590 – October 29, 1662) was an English colonist and fur trader in North America best known as the founder of Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. He was also a colonial treasurer, original patentee of the Massachu ...

, known as the founder of Springfield.

Chapel and columbarium

The Dorcas Chapin Chapel was constructed in 1885 with funds donated by the wife of

Chester W. Chapin Chester William Chapin (December 16, 1798 – June 10, 1883) was an American businessman, president of the Boston and Albany Railroad from 1868 to 1878, and U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts. He was a multimillionaire at his death in 1883, an ...

. Designed in the

English Gothic English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of Gothic cathedrals and churches, cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture, Got ...

style, the chapel contains stained glass windows created by the L.C. Tiffany Company and provides a seating capacity for fifty.

Soldier's Rest, Civil War monument

‘''Soldier’s Rest is a Civil War monument that was dedicated in 1877 and depicts a Union private at rest. The funds used to commission the monument were raised by women of the city who, in 1862, had developed the Soldier’s Rest Association to support the needs of soldiers, returning veterans and their families. The statue stands above the Soldiers plot, with graves both at its base and more below a descending slope. At least 200 Civil War soldiers are buried in the cemetery.

Notable burials

George Ashmun George Ashmun (December 25, 1804 – July 16, 1870) was a Whig member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts. Ashmun was born in Blandford, Massachusetts to Eli P. Ashmun and Lucy Hooker. He graduated from Yale in 1823 and wa ...

, U.S. Congressman, member of the Massachusetts State Legislature, lawyer * James Barnes, Brigidier General, Union Army, Civil War *

Milton Bradley Milton Bradley (November 8, 1836 – May 30, 1911) was an American business magnate, game pioneer and publisher, credited by many with launching the board game industry, with his eponymous enterprise, which was purchased by Hasbro in 1984, and ...

, businessman, considered a pioneer of the

board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a comp ...

industry, founder of the

Milton Bradley Company Milton Bradley Company or simply Milton Bradley (MB) was an American board game manufacturer established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the ...

* Andrew Symmes Bryant, Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor recipient * Thornton Waldo Burgess, conservationist, author, journalist * William Barron Calhoun, U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts * Calvin Clifford Chaffee, U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts, ardent slavery abolitionist *

, U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts, businessman *

Thomas Dwight Thomas Dwight (1843–1911) was an American physician, anatomist and teacher. Life Thomas Dwight was born on October 13, 1843, in Boston, Massachusetts. His father was also named Thomas Dwight (born September 27, 1807 – 1876 ), part of the New ...

, U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts * Chester Harding, portrait painter of prominent 19th century Americans *

Josiah Gilbert Holland Josiah Gilbert Holland (July 24, 1819 – October 12, 1881) was an American novelist and poet who also wrote under the pseudonym Timothy Titcomb. He helped to found and edit ''Scribner's Monthly'' (afterwards the ''Century Magazine''), in which ...

, novelist, poet and newspaper editor *

Samuel Knox Samuel Knox (March 21, 1815 – March 7, 1905) was a U.S. Representative from Missouri. Born in Blandford, Massachusetts, Knox attended the common schools, graduated in 1836 from Williams College (Williamstown, Massachusetts) and then earned a ...

, U.S. Congressman from Missouri *

F. O. Matthiessen Francis Otto Matthiessen (February 19, 1902 – April 1, 1950) was an educator, scholar and literary critic influential in the fields of American literature and American studies. His best known work, ''American Renaissance: Art and Expression in ...

, Harvard professor, literary critic, author of ’’American Renaissance: Art and Expression in the Age of Emerson and Whitman’’ *

Horace A. Moses Horace Augustus Moses (1863-1947) was a prominent industrialist and profound social engineer who founded Mittineague Paper Company in West Springfield, Massachusetts, which later became Strathmore Paper Company. He is also noted for his involveme ...

, industrialist and philanthropist, co-founder of

Junior Achievement JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide is a global non-profit youth organization founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and Winthrop M. Crane. JA works with local businesses, schools, and organizations to deliver experiential learning ...

Everett Peabody Everett Peabody (June 13, 1830 – April 6, 1862) was a Harvard graduate and civil engineer working for various railroads in Massachusetts and Missouri. He is best remembered for his service as a colonel in the Union army during the Civil War, in ...

, Colonel, Union Army, Civil War * William Rice, Methodist Episcopal minister, Springfield City Librarian *

James Wolfe Ripley James Wolfe Ripley (December 10, 1794 – March 16, 1870) was an American soldier who served as a brigadier general in the Union Army during the Civil War. In 1861, he was selected to be the 5th Chief of Ordnance for the United States Army Ordnanc ...

, Brigadier General, Union Army, Civil War * Charles Louis Seeger, Jr.,

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

, composer, university instructor, father of

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...

Ruth Crawford Seeger Ruth Crawford Seeger (born Ruth Porter Crawford; July 3, 1901 – November 18, 1953) was an American composer and folk music specialist. Her music was a prominent exponent of the emerging modernist aesthetic and she became a central member of a g ...

, singer, songwriter, political activist, stepmother of

* Horace Smith, inventor, industrialist *

Elizabeth Towne Elizabeth Jones Towne (May 11, 1865 – June 1, 1960) was an influential writer, editor, and publisher in the New Thought and self-help movements. Early life Elizabeth Jones was born in Oregon, the daughter of John Halsey Jones. She first marri ...

, writer, publisher * Mark Trafton, U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts

Gallery

Civil War Soldier Monument, Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, MA - January 2016.JPG, Soldier’s Rest Civil War monument (1877) Cemetery Avenue Springfield Mass 1905.jpg, Cemetery Avenue approach to the gate (1905) Springfield Cemetery Entrance 1905.jpg, Cemetery gate (1905) Springfield Cemetery 1900-1906.jpg, Cemetery grounds (1900-1906) Springfield Cemetery Soldiers Plot 1900-1910.jpg, Soldiers plot & Soldier’s Rest monument Morgan Family Monument (Seated Maiden by Henri Chapu), Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, MA 01.jpg, Morgan family monument by

Henri-Michel-Antoine Chapu Henri-Michel-Antoine Chapu (29 September 1833 – 21 April 1891) was a French sculptor in a modified Neoclassical tradition who was known for his use of allegory in his work. Life and career Born in Le Mée-sur-Seine into modest circumstances, ...

(approx. 1877-1891) Josiah Gilbert Holland Monument (by Augustus Saint-Gaudens), Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, MA.jpg,

monument by

Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. From a French-Irish family, Saint-Gaudens was raised in New York City, he trave ...

(1881) Fuller Family Monument (by Heinrich Waderé), Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, MA.jpg, Monument in memory of Winthrop and Elizabeth Bliss Fuller, sculpted by Heinrich Waderé (installed 1910)

Location

The main entrance to the Springfield Cemetery is located at 171 Maple Street, Springfield, MA 01150.

References

{{Authority control Cemeteries in Hampden County, Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Springfield, Massachusetts 1841 establishments in Massachusetts History of Springfield, Massachusetts Rural cemeteries