Tour #5: Terrace Hill Cemetery Walking Tour
Washington Street

The Walpole Historical Society is 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. 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.

Terrace Hill Cemetery Walking Tour
Washington Street
“History of the South Walpole:
Early Mill Settlement to Thriving Village”

Terrace Hill cemetery was officially established in 1784 for the villagers of South Walpole, when Jonathan Boyden sold one-quarter of an acre to be used for a burying place. Over the years, parcels of land have been added to this cemetery, making it one of the larger cemeteries in Walpole. In 1808 Benjamin Mann sold one quarter of an acre to the South School District. This parcel is in the front, where the Jackson Memorial Chapel is sitting. Another large parcel was added in the 1900s and is the section that is in use today. Recently, a section to the back was developed and now is being used for burials.

The oldest section, which is the focus of this walking tour, sits on the South Street side of the road, behind the Jackson Memorial Chapel. It is a terraced cemetery, with approximately 400 gravestones and about 860 people buried there. The oldest stones are slate or marble tablet-stones, only a few still have their matching footstones. These stones are in fair condition, and show the signs of age due to weathering, erosion and pollution. There are a few marble family monuments, they too are quite eroded. At the top of the hill are many tall and elaborate granite family monuments, which are in excellent condition.

This tour will provide an interesting history of South Walpole. It is an interesting history that often gets hidden in Walpole’s over all history. People began to settle in South Walpole just before it was set off from Dedham. Some of the first families to settle here were millers. In 1720, Theodore Mann who had a fulling mill and about the same time siblings, James and Jeremiah Smith and Anphillis (Smith) Jenks, who was the wife of William Jenks and all came from Providence. All three men were “bloomers” which meant they smelted iron. This occupation would indicate there was a foundry in South Walpole.

Over the years more people settled in and around the village of South Walpole, many farmed land here, but milling was one of the most consistent businesses here well into the mid-1900s. When Washington Street was laid out in 1805, it became the new Boston – Providence Highway. It replaced the “old” highway...Main Street. With coaches passing through the village, new businesses sprung up such as taverns & small shops, and a church was also established here, which encouraged more people to settle in this part of town. Come and learn about the people who settled this village.

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