Rural Cemetery & Crematory

Rural Cemetery & Crematory The far-sighted Worcester citizens who, in 1837 "prayed the Legislature" for the right to own a cemetery, were horticulturalists at heart.

"His choice of land proved to be one of nature's prizes, with a rolling contour and a great many beautiful trees, a place where sun and shade played well together." - Mildred McClary Tymeson When the charter was granted "incorporating a unique association providing for individual proprietorship," they saw to it that it included a provision for the planting and care of trees, shrubbery and "other o

rnaments." In the beginning, proprietors tended their own lots. It was Frederick William Paine, whose family house, The Oaks, still stands on Lincoln Street, who saw the need in the 1840s for a cohesive landscape. It is because of the early "hands-on" efforts of Mr. Paine and other Trustees and, later, through the Trustees' supportive interest and the knowledge of caring Superintendents, that the cemetery has continued to provide rural serenity in spite of urban sprawl. The trees are a testament to this caring. Some older than the cemetery itself, such as the larch there to welcome Harriet Kinnicutt, the first burial in 1838. Here, too, is an enormous oak whose acorn was planted more than a hundred years ago by the child who lies beneath. Many of the over 650 trees are as diverse in character as those whose watch they keep: swamp cypress flourishing in dry ground, the "telephone pole" tulip, large protective green and copper beeches, mature Scotch pine, a rare ash, a bank of holly. A Tree Fund, established in 1985 as an on-going trust, assures that Rural Cemetery always will be a true arboretum.

Address

180 Grove St
Worcester, MA
01605-1711

General information

For over 150 years, the Rural Cemetery has sheltered with dignity the graves of over 16,000 persons. Walking its quiet paths and shaded avenues, past the mausoleums, monuments, the rough-hewn stones and markers of simple slate, reflecting taste and times, is a walk through history. Every carved name has meaning, and many bring to mind the genius, generosity, and the "get up and do" of those persons who have made a difference, not only to the city and county, but to the commonwealth, country, and the world. By 1900, 21 mayors and 4 Massachusetts governors were buried in Rural Cemetery, joined through the years by U.S. congressmen such as William W. Rice, judges such as Francis H. Dewey, inventors such as George Crompton (the power loom). The Salisbury family, Stephens I, II, & III, whose mansion and house still stand, and to whom the Worcester Art Museum, itself, is a monument, are also here. Here are Milton Prince Higgins, one of the founders of the Norton Company, who conceived the idea of vocational high school; his wife, Katherine Chapin, who pioneered the Parent Teachers Association; his son, John Woodman Higgins, whose collection of medieval armor, the largest private collection in the Western Hemisphere, is now The Higgins Armory Museum. The history here is endless. Other noted burials worth looking into include (but certainly are not limited to the following:) Isaiah Thomas, Andrew Haskell Green, Schofield Thayer, William Jennison, Ellen F. Rogers, Lucy and Sarah Chase, Brevet Brigadier General George H. Ward, General George B. Boomer, Daniel Farber, Dr. Harry Phillips Davis, Levi Lincoln Jr., Daniel Waldo, Moses Dresser Phillips, Ichabod Washburn, Fanny Bullock Workman, and George Bancroft. *UPDATED: Please feel free to stop by the cemetery office, now located in our new crematory and conference building to the right of the cemetery entrance for additional information about the cemetery's history, noted internments, a tour of our brand new state-of-the-art modern cremation facility, information about our Columbarium, or for a walking tour of the grounds.

Telephone

(508) 754-1313

Website

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