South Hadley Center Burial Grounds Walking Tour is a walk through four cemeteries around the center of town. For a general presentation of all burial grounds in South Hadley see HERE.
This is also part of the South Hadley Heritage tour. Navigate back to the tour page HERE.
cemetery 1 – Old South Hadley Burial Ground
The vast majority of the burials that were in the Old South Hadley Cemetery were moved in 1902. There was most likely still 1500 burials left in the old cemetery in early 1902. Families that had burial plots there obtained family plots in the main body of Evergreen. About 1100 burials were moved that year in this manner. The size of the old cemetery is such that there could have been 3200 burials there at maximum. Thus having 1800 burials through the years is very likely.
The remainder of the Old South Hadley Cemetery was moved here in 1903 from a location where the Gaylord Library is now. All the stones in this small portion of the cemetery are catalogued in a book by Jesse Lie. World Cat LINK. Many surveys have been done on this portion of the cemetery:
- In 1903 Annah May Soule had her students do a survey while the stones were still at the older cemetery. 465 stones and 617 names were catalogued. LIST and FINDAGRAVE
- Also in 1903 the Evergreen Association made a list of the stones that were to be placed in this back portion. They did not make a 1902 list of those moved into the family section. This Evergreen list has 518 plots and 541 names.
- In 1928 Faith Stacy Smith made a list of some of the stones in the back. It had 395 names and 322 stones. LINK
- In 1947 Jean Kinney made a list. It has 294 stones and 296 names.
- In 1976 the Jessie Lie group with Saintonge made a list with 417 stones and 556 names. LINK
- Horace Brockway made a list of the burials that were moved from 1868 to 1891 from the old cemetery into Evergreen. It has 300 names.
- There is also a list of unknown origins and unknown current location that lists the families that want burials elsewhere from 1896 to 1904. It is known to have 75 names on it. Current locations known to have some of these reburials are Evergreen, West Street Cemetery (Granby), and the South Hadley Falls Cemetery.
My images of the grid layout of the cemetery.
cemetery 2 – Evergreen Cemetery
Evergreen Cemetery was made in 1868. The first burial record is from January 14 1869 as seen in the death record below. It has many burials that are older than that date and these are moved burials from the Old South Hadley Burial Ground. Some burials are from the families wanting the bodies in a nicer location and others are from the 1902 move. Read and walk the cemetery by using this separate LINK.
15 Aug 1902 HTT
May 8 1902 HTT
cemetery 3 – Gaylord Library Burial Ground
(Photo is from the book In Old South Hadley from Sophie Eastman.)
John Preston died in 1728. His family refused to have him moved since he was the first settler of the town and the first burial. Thus he is still here in back of the Gaylord Library.
cemetery 4 – Mount Holyoke College Burial Ground
Mary Lyon the found of Mount Holyoke College is buried on this campus. She is surrounded by a wrought iron fence.
Mary Lyon of Mount Holyoke College
stop 5 – South Hadley Center
The South Hadley Center Congregational Church is now on the National Register of Historic Places. There were many locations for the meeting house of South Hadley Center through the years.
The South Hadley Post Office and Woodbridge Street are also on the National Register of Historic Places. These are well deserved honors. The first location of all to receive this in town was the South Hadley Canal.
Civil War soldiers from South Hadley who died during the war.
A 1928 survey of the old cemetery.
Sanborn map analysis:
