Walpole Cemetery Walking Tours

First of six tours sponsored by the Walpole Historical Society

The Walpole Historical Society is pleased to announce they are sponsoring walking tours of the town’s historic cemeteries. This year marks Walpole’s 300th anniversary, but it also marks the Society’s 125th anniversary, and to mark these special occasions, we are hosting several walking tours of our unique cemeteries.

Join us on August 17th and 31st for the first two cemetery walking tours of six tours we have planned. We are lucky enough to have nine historic cemeteries in town, and each one is special and holds Walpole’s unique history. Each tour will have a topic to highlight Walpole’s history. It is our hope that through these tours participants will learn more about Walpole’s early history and the people who contributed to the town’s growth.

The tours are scheduled for Saturday afternoons. They will start at noon, and be about an hour and a half long. Please dress accordingly and on a hot day, bring water! In the event of cancellation due to rain, the cancelled tour will happen the following Saturday.

August 17: Old Burial Ground, corner of Main and Kendall Streets

“Early History of a Town: Sleeping on a Hill”

The Old Burial Ground has been in use since 1704, some 20 years before this part of Dedham was set off and became Walpole. At that time, the nearest cemetery was in Dedham Village! At that time Walpole was part of Dedham, and families who lived here there were members of the Dedham Church, so would have been buried there.

On April 2, 1705, a “half-acre” of land was set off from the farm of Eleazer Clapp, in exchange for three acres of land on Major’s Plain, for the express purpose of using this land for a “Buryal Plas.” This is a small cemetery. It is approximately 70’ by about 70’. There are approximately 152 headstones. Most still have their footstones. There is one burial tomb in this cemetery, which has fallen in on its self, from age, officially burying its occupants. There are just under 200 people buried here. The majority of the headstones are slate tablets, and they are in very good shape. There are a few marble tablets, and one marble family pilaster stone.

In this cemetery are of many of Walpole’s earliest settlers and their descendants; Allen, Robbins, Clapp, Hartshorn, Smith, Fales, Blake and Kingsbury are buried in this cemetery. Also, two of Walpole’s early ministers are here, as is an Arcadian refugee from Canada, and about 20 Revolutionary Soldiers.

It is our hope that through this tour you will have a good understanding about Walpole’s early history and the people who contributed to its growth.

August 31: Maple Grove Cemetery, Kendall Street

“Gravestones to Gardens - Trends in New England Cemeteries”

Maple Grove is one of Walpole’s larger cemeteries. It contains approximately 3 to 4 acres, and is still in use today. This oldest section is dotted with ancient maple trees, which makes this cemetery one of the shadiest cemeteries in town. There are approximately 325 headstones contained in the oldest part of the cemetery, and there are about 800 people buried there too. Established in 1817, it was the answer to the over crowding of the Old Burial Ground. In the late 1890’s or early 1900’s Isaac Newton Lewis organized and incorporated the Maple Grove Cemetery. Around that time, Maple Grove was expanded into the area that is used today.

Maple Grove is actually an interesting cemetery, as it has its roots in the old-fashioned burial ground ideas, but as the garden cemetery became popular, this little cemetery began to change as it incorporated many elements of a garden cemetery. Trees were planted, paths were established, as were formal family plots, which were often embellished with large monuments. When the cemetery was expanded in the 1920s, that garden feel was continued. Maple Grove also contains a large variety of gravestones, which help to illustrate the changing trends in cemeteries and funerary art and style.

We want to stress, that the ground in each cemetery is soft and uneven, which could make it difficult for some people to walk upon. We do not want anyone to injure themselves or the gravestones!

Come stroll through our historic cemeteries and learn about Walpole’s history as you tour our cemeteries.

For more about the historical society:
Walpole Historical Society