Tour #2: Maple Grove Cemetery
Kendall 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.

Maple Grove Cemetery
“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