Friends of the Grove Street Cemetery

06/02/2026

June Cemetery Tour Dates

Grove Street Cemetery, 227 Grove Street, New Haven

Please join us on a guided tour of Grove Street Cemetery! Our free one-hour walking tours will be led by chief docent Darlene Casella, and docents Henry Dove and Lori Ouellette.

June 6, Saturday, at 9 am

June 7, Sunday, at noon

June 13, Saturday, at 9 am

June 14, Sunday, at 10 am

June 21, Sunday, at noon

No registration is needed for the scheduled tours, which will leave from inside the main entrance gate at the times above. Inclement weather or storms will automatically cancel any tour, and the cancellations will be posted on our website.

Tours are free and open to all!

04/20/2026

May Cemetery Tour Dates

Please join us on a guided tour of Grove Street Cemetery! Our free one-hour walking tours will be led by chief docent Darlene Casella, and docents Henry Dove and Lori Ouellette.

May 3, Sunday, at noon
May 17, Sunday, at noon
May 23, Saturday, at 11 am
May 30, Saturday, at 10 am

No registration is needed for the scheduled tours, which will leave from inside the main entrance gate at the times above. Inclement weather or storms will automatically cancel any tour, and the cancellations will be posted on our website.

Free and open to all!

04/14/2026

Please join us this Sunday, April 19, at 12:30pm, for a Tribute to Roger Sherman on his birthday at his grave site, 32 Maple Avenue, West. There will be a brief ceremony to celebrate his life: the Local History Unit from the Sons of the American Revolution will make a presentation, remarks will be made by the City Historian and others, and two wreaths will be laid.

Sherman will then be further celebrated from 1pm to 4pm at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library—on the next block at 121 Wall Street—where there will be a display of related archival materials.

Roger Sherman was born on April 19, 1721, and was the only person to sign all four founding documents of the United States of America: the Articles of Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. He also served as Connecticut's Representative and Senator, and was the first person elected Mayor of the City of New Haven.

The events are cosponsored by Yale University Library. We hope to see you at both places, which are free and open to all!

03/18/2026

Please join us on a guided tour of Grove Street Cemetery from early April through the end of November. Our free one-hour walking tours will be led by chief docent Darlene Casella, and docents Henry Dove and Lori Ouellette, on these days this year:

April 5, Sunday, at noon
April 11, Saturday, at 10 am
April 19, Sunday, at noon
May 3, Sunday, at noon
May 17, Sunday, at noon
May 23, Saturday, at 11 am
May 30 Saturday, at 10 am
June 6, Saturday, at 9 am
June 7, Sunday, at noon
June 13, Saturday, at 9 am
June 14, Sunday, at 10 am
June 21, Sunday, at noon
July 5, Sunday, at noon
July 11, Saturday, at 11 am
July 18, Saturday, at 11 am
July 19, Sunday, at noon
August 1, Saturday, at 11 am
August 2, Sunday, at noon
August 16, Sunday, at noon
August 22, Saturday, at 11 am
September 5, Saturday, at 10 am
September 6, Sunday, at noon
September 12, Saturday, at 11 am
September 19 Saturday, at 10 am
September 20, Sunday, at noon
September 26, Saturday, at 11 am
October 3, Saturday, at 11 am
October 4, Sunday, at noon
October 10 Saturday, 10 am
October 17, Saturday, at 11 am
October 18, Sunday, at noon
October 31, Saturday, at 10 am (Halloween tour!)
November 1, Sunday, at noon
November 8, Sunday, at 11 am
November 14 Saturday, at 10 am
November 15, Sunday, at noon
November 28 Saturday, at 10 am
[updated May 23, 2026]

In addition to the above regularly scheduled tours, private small group tours may be arranged by contacting Darlene directly at 203-777-3887.

No registration is needed for the scheduled tours, which will leave from inside the main entrance gate at the times above. Inclement weather or storms will automatically cancel any tour, and the cancellations will be posted on our website.

02/06/2026

Dear supporters and friends of the Grove Street Cemetery,

As we look back on the year, the cemetery continues to thrive as both a historic landmark and a living cultural resource.

Public engagement flourished in 2025, with more than 400 visitors joining docent-led tours now supported by a chief docent and two additional docents. We welcomed students from West Haven High School, Choate Rosemary Hall, and Lincoln-Bassett Community School; departments and offices across Yale; the Yale Peabody volunteer group; residents of Evergreen Woods; descendants of the Walter Camp and Trowbridge families; and spirited guests at our annual Halloween tour. We also hosted special tours marking the 100th anniversary of the Garden Club of New Haven, whose founder, Florence Isadora Bradley, is interred here.

Our cradle grave planting and maintenance program also strengthened, with 10 volunteers caring for 26 cradle graves and the rediscovery and careful repositioning of the long-buried cradle grave of Dr. Lawrence Sterne Hotchkiss (1816-1905). Tree restoration made significant progress as well, with 38 new trees planted across 3 eastern avenues — ranging from Swiss stone pine and red-flowering horse chestnut to multiple birch varieties, Persian parrotia, swamp white oak, Yoshino cherry, and the generous gifts of two specimen paperbark maples and a yellow birch. With replanting now about 50% complete, these new trees will be added to an updated Arboretum Tour map once established.

Looking ahead, 2026 brings major milestones as the nation marks America 250. Grove Street Cemetery is deeply connected to this history as the resting place of Roger Sherman, a signer of all 4 founding documents — the Articles of Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. Events planned for April 19th, 2026, Sherman’s birthday, as well as July 4th, will highlight the cemetery’s unique place in the nation’s founding story. In addition, a 2-year-long effort will conclude with the release of a Guide to the New Haven City Burial Ground Records, which will expand public access to Grove Street Cemetery's archives at the New Haven Museum's Whitney Library.

Your support makes this work possible. We hope you will consider renewing your membership or making a donation to help us continue preserving, interpreting, and caring for this remarkable place.

With gratitude,
Michael Morand
Chair, Friends of the Grove Street Cemetery

grovestreetcemetery.org/become-member
grovestreetcemetery.org/make-donation

11/07/2025

We were delighted to host a tour of the cemetery with a group of eighth graders from Lincoln Bassett School. We visited many sites, including the grave of Josiah Gibbs, where many of the students placed personal items.

11/06/2025

The cemetery tour scheduled for November 15 at 10:00 a.m. is canceled. Please join us at one of our remaining two tour dates.

Schedule Join chief docent Darlene Casella on a tour of the cemetery from April through November. Her tours provide a history of the cemetery, information on many notables buried here, as well as interesting stories and lively discussions about the cemetery’s residents. In addition, docent Henry D...

10/14/2025

This Saturday’s tour (October 18) is canceled. Please join us at one of our other tour dates, which run through November.

Schedule Join chief docent Darlene Casella on a tour of the cemetery from April through November. Her tours provide a history of the cemetery, information on many notables buried here, as well as interesting stories and lively discussions about the cemetery’s residents. In addition, docent Henry D...

09/26/2025

This Sunday’s tour (September 28) is canceled. There is still time to join us at one of our other upcoming tours, which run through November.

Schedule Join chief docent Darlene Casella on a tour of the cemetery from April through November. Her tours provide a history of the cemetery, information on many notables buried here, as well as interesting stories and lively discussions about the cemetery’s residents. In addition, docent Henry D...

09/18/2025

This Saturday’s tour (September 20) is canceled. Please join us at one of our other tour dates, which run through November.

Schedule Join chief docent Darlene Casella on a tour of the cemetery from April through November. Her tours provide a history of the cemetery, information on many notables buried here, as well as interesting stories and lively discussions about the cemetery’s residents. In addition, docent Henry D...