- Private GROUP TOUR (COSTS) is one hour long for this Notre Dame Cemetery walking tour. Also a one hour indoor presentation can be given.
- A free public tour comes up every five years.
- A self-tour is available for anyone using the maps and text seen below. – LOCATION
- A booklet is available HERE
- Panoramic video
Notre Dame Cemetery in South Hadley was started on April 29 of 1892 by the Notre Dame of Perpetual Help Church of Holyoke.
Stop 1 – Narcisse Deroy
Deroy Park in Holyoke is located in front of the former West Street School (now Kelley School). Its original name was Canochet Park but was renamed in honor of Narcisse Deroy. Narcisse was in WW1 in the US Army. He lost his life at Chateau Thierry.
stop 2 – Ferdinand Comeau
Ferdinand Comeau (FINDAGRAVE) was one of 14 children – 11 brothers and 3 sisters. All survived childhood since they grew up in a mill town and not a mill city. Illnesses killed about half of children that grew up in a mill city 100 years ago.
stop 3 – Arthur Perrault
Arthur Perrault (FINDAGRAVE) was the first Holyoke resident to die in a military air crash. He was training in France for a mission and his plane spiraled out of control. He is buried in France and so this is his centaph.
stop 4 – Charles Crevier and Joseph Marchand
Charles Crevier (FINDAGRAVE) served from 1890 to 1927 as pastor of Precious Blood Church in Holyoke. He built the schools, rectory, and convent. He helped bring together all churches of Holyoke. His friend Joseph Marchand (FINDAGRAVE) was pastor of Perpetual Help Church from 1903 to 1937. He started the new Perpetual Help Church in the middle of the 1920s. He then gave the old church structure to the Mater Dolorosa parish.
Two plaques on the wings of the cross in this section honor the Quebec ethnicity military men from Holyoke that died during the course of World War 1. See this LINK to read about them.
stop 5 – Mitivier family
Moses Mitivier was a surgeon in Holyoke from 1873 to 1892. He grew up in rural Quebec province. He attended medical school in New York City and later in Quebec City. He got rich on the California gold mine and moved to Holyoke to be a surgeon. He built the Mitivier Building on the northeast corner of High and Lyman Streets. He was the best and friendliest doctor in Holyoke in the pioneer era. His FINDAGRAVE memorial page gives his obituary. His wife, daughter, and son are all buried in this cemetery. He was at first buried in Precious Blood Cemetery but was removed from there and placed into Forestdale Cemetery in Holyoke. FINDAGRAVE
stop 6 – Fortier Masoleum
Napoleon Fortier (FINDAGRAVE) had built the only masoleum in South Hadley at the front of the cemetery. He was an innkeeper in Northampton where he owned three hotels – Leeds Hotel, Hotel Lafayette, and Baystate Hotel. The last is still there. In 1923 his wife died. Two weeks later he married his widowed sister-in-law. Napoleon, his brother Pierre, Caroline his wife, and Delia his second wife are all buried in this beautiful structure.
Stop 7 – Raymond Beaudoin
Lieutenant Beaudoin (FINDAGRAVE) was given the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery in battle in Germany during WW2. His stone is in the back of section C.