By Don Corey
Photos by Jan van Steenwijk
The Old Burying Ground on Springs Road is an attractive municipal historic resource and a favorite tour site for adults and school children alike. Regrettably, a very large white pine tree (8 feet in diameter!) inside the Springs Road wall broke 20 to 30 feet above grade during the 60+ MPH winds on Friday, March 7. The tree fell directly across the cemetery, causing considerable damage.
The Old Burying Ground was originally laid out in October 1729, one month after Bedford’s incorporation. For 120 years, it was the Town’s only place for interment. The earliest burial with an existing gravestone is that of Katherine (Whiting) Lane, who died on April 1, 1731, at 39 years of age. The cemetery gravestones and tombs record the names of 496 people buried there, but records indicate that about 1400 individuals were probably buried there. Wooden crosses did not survive, and broken gravestones may have been removed over the years. After Shawsheen Cemetery was established in 1849, most burials took place there, but some family member burials continued in the Old Burying Ground until 1894.
Bedford obtained grants from the Massachusetts Historical Commission and appropriated Community Preservation Act funds for a major restoration project of the Old Burying Ground from 2005 to 2007 after decades of neglect. Upon completion of work, it was considered among the best-preserved cemeteries in New England for that period.
An initial damage assessment by Historic Preservation Commission Chair Alethea Yates shows that the falling white pine hit 20 gravestones on March 7, 2025. They include two 275-year-old stones of early Bedford inhabitants – John Hutchinson (d.1749 at age 13) and Mrs. Ruth Hartwell (d.1752 at age 77). Some of the stones were not seriously damaged and can just be reset. However, the majority are broken or may be broken below grade. Many can hopefully be repaired as was done in 2006-2007. Unfortunately, several were shattered beyond repair. The preservation consultant who prepared the Preservation Plan in 2005 and provided oversight of that restoration project will visit the site and assess the damage soon. The DPW has some funding available for restoration work. Restoration of the Old Burying Ground would also be eligible for CPA Historic Preservation funding if needed.
In 1993-1995, members of the Historical Society prepared a plan showing the location of and inscription on every tomb and gravestone in the Old Burying Ground. It was the Town’s first and only complete record of burials there. The project report can be seen at the Society’s office in Old Town Hall.
Cleaning up the cemetery took several days and had to be done carefully to avoid further damaging fragile headstones. The debris had to be hoisted with a 240-foot crane to clear the trees. View the slideshow below to see more pictures of the damage and the clean-up efforts.
All photos by Jan van Steenwijk
