Nomination for Amherst West Cemetery

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service OMB No. 1024-0018 RECEIVED 52t National Register of Historic Places Registration Form APR - 4 2000 NATIONAL REGISTER, HISTORY This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties arfd districis Register of Historie Places Registration Fosm (National Register Bulledin 1A). Ceipel ta dtn e likma in the appropriate box or by enterin the information requested. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional entries and narrative items on continuation sheets (NPS Form 10-900a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer, to complete all items. 1.

Name of Property historic name AMHERST WEST CEMETERY other names/site number 2. Location street & number TRIANGLE STREET not for publication city or town AMHERST vicinity state MASSACHUSETTS code MA county_HAMPSHIRE _ code_015 _zip code 01002 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1986, as amended, I hereby certify that this o nomination - request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property meets L does not meet the National Register Criteria.I recommend that this property be considered significant nationally - statewide locally. (O See continuation sheet for additional comments.) uditr B.

M.Denouah Signature of certifying official/Title Judith B. McDondugh, Executive Director 4/8/2000 Massachusetts Historical Commission, State Historic Preservation Officer State or Federal agency and bureau In my opinion, the property meets [ does not meet the National Register criteria. (- See continuation sheet for additional Comments.)| Signature of certifying official/Title Date State or Federal agency and bureau 4. Natjonal Park Service Certification ,hereby certify that this property is Yentered in the National Registe - See continuation sheet. - determined eligible for the National Register - See continuation sheet. - determined not eligible for the National Register - removed from the National Register - other (explain): leon A. Bell Date of Actic 5/36/00 Amherst West Cemetery Name of Property 5.

Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply) _ private x public-local _ public-State _ public-Federal (Check only one box) _building(s districi x site _ structure _ object Hampshire, MA County and State Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count.) Contributing Noncontributing 1 1 5 1 19 1 26 2 building sites _ structures objects Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register 0 Name of related multiple property listing (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing.) n/a 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions) Funerary: Cemetery Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions) Funerary: Cemetery 7.

Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) n/a Materials (Enter categories from instructions) foundation walls roof other granite slate limestone marble zinc iron sandstone Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current condition of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) OMB Approval No. 1021-0018 MPsS Form 10-900-s United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. Section number - 1 Page 1 7. NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION Introduction Amherst's West Cemetery was founded in 1730 when voters at the Hadley town meeting decided in favor of establishing an additional burial ground in its east precinct. It was about an acre at that time and now comprised 4 acres of undulating terrain.

Topography rises to its highest point approximately in the center, ten feet above the lower points at the burial ground's periphery. The earliest surviving stone in the cemetery is dated 1737, although there are likely to be earlier unmarked burials. The Town of Amherst was founded in 1786 and assumed proprietorship at that time. Its most well-known resident is the poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), buried with her family near the center of the cemetery in a plot marked off from its surroundings by one of the cemetery's two cast iron fences. Other significant burials are members of families named Boltwood, Seelye, Cowles, Cutler and Kellogg, among others. These names are recognizable to Amherst residents as belonging to early settlers, prominent politicians, and influential businessmen.

It is their grave markers that cement the relationship between the town's academic, economic and social structures and the cultural resource that is West Cemetery. Markers carved from slate during the Colonial Period are located mainly in the southwestern part and number in the hundreds. Many are well preserved and demonstrate artistic conventions and motifs frequently used by period carvers, such as Puritanical language, death's heads and portal designs. Over two dozen carvers, some with as many as seven markers to their credit, have been identified by their inscriptions on various stones. Gravestones from the Victorian period are commonly carved from limestone and brownstone with more ornate designs than earlier examples, higher levels of carved detail and distinctive forms such as the obelisk and the chest marker.

Prominent citizens began at this time to be buried under signiticantly larger stones,which indicated their social, professional or educational status. Stones from the late 19" to mid 20" century are cut mainly from granite in a variety of styles, ranging from Classical obelisks to plain tablet markers to stylish Art Deco chest markers. The southeastern portion of the cemetery is the site of many African American burials dating from the same period. Most stones here are quite simple and lack the ostentation or even brief religious verse common on markers found elsewhere in the cemetery. (continued) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service :National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass.

Section number - Page 2 Between 1833 and 1854 the cemetery, then called the "Centre Burying Ground," was upgraded with new circulation paths, a town tomb and perimeter fencing in emulation of the rural cemetery movement begun at Cambridge's Mt. Auburn Cemetery. Landscape The earliest appearance of the landscape of West Cemetery was that of a field occupied by a small number of grave markers carved out of Connecticut Valley limestone. Little attempt was made in the 18th century to improve or landscape the burial ground. The town acquired additional space at the northeast edge of the parcel in 1833, establishing the current northeast-southwest oriented footprint. A fence was erected at this time and narrow alleys oriented from east to west were laid out in the newer portion of the cemetery. Additional circulation paths were built in 1854 in the current figure-eight form.

The east-west alleys were later ignored and used as burial-plot space, leaving only occasional physical evidence. The figure-eight path vaguely follows the outline of the cemetery boundaries and remains in use today. It provides views upward to the central high point, around eight feet above the path. The principal entrance to the cemetery is the Burnham Memorial Gateway, built in 1954 of cut granite on Triangle Street. The Gateway consists of two square piers, built of random-laid ashlar (square stone blocks), surmounted by molded cornices and low pyramidal capstones. The westerly pier gives way to a second pier and a short section of wall that marks the northwest corner of the cemetery.

The easterly pier is joined by long section of wall with built in flowerbed, perhaps 70 yards long, laid in random ashlar pattern to a height of three feet that separates the cemetery's northern boundary from Triangle Street. Long sections of coping protect the top of the masonry structure. Entrance from the west is through the Gaylord Gates which were built as the principal entry in 1907. These are two piers of rusticated, quarry-faced granite block with pyramidal capstones. The piers are joined by a length of chain and flank a two to four foot high stone retaining wall running along the western boundary. The Gaylord Gates became a secondary point of entry when the existing commercial building on Pleasant Street nearly blocked access to them and when the Burnham Gateway on Triangle Street was constructed.

The western boundary of the cemetery between the Gaylord and Burnham Gates is lined with a tall evergreen hedge, mostly blocking views of the immediately adjacent building. The eastern side of the cemetery is lined with a combination of chain link fencing and hedges. A low fence marks the southern edge adjacent to an apartment building. - (continued) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 NPS Form 10-900-a 8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. 7 Section number Page 3 Plots within the cemetery are defined in a variety of ways. Lacking a circulation system that provides borders or a sense of frontage to all plots, distinction between plots, where it exists, must be achieved by those responsible for erecting markers.

The Bentley and Watson families used ornamental granite curbstones to delineate the edges of their plots. Long, molded curbing laid a few inches above grade is emphasized at the corners and at the steps into the plot by low octahedral or round stones capped with finials, providing a border but not cutting off the markers from the landscape. Plot demarcation is made clear on the William A. Stearns plot in a similar way. The tall granite obelisk occupies the center of that plot and is surrounded by a constellation of individual markers belonging to family members. Six tablet markers on both the east and west edges act as an easily permeable boundary while establishing the extent of the family's domain. A more protective method of marking edges exists at the Dickinson and Cutler plots.

Here, cast iron fences make a strong and clear statement concerning where the limits of the plot are located. The fences were intended to promote a sense of exclusivity and family unity. Many more fences existed at one time but were removed due to deterioration. The great majority of plots, however, contain a handful or less of small stones and are not delineated in any way. The only mausoleum in West Cemetery is built of granite with a cast iron door and bears the inscription, "Town Tomb 1851" in the crest. Mounded earth covers the chamber which is faced with granite, divided by two integrated square piers into three bays. At the sides, wing walls step inward as they rise to meet the piers. Two stone slabs and the cast iron door form the central bay and provide support for the central crest, an ornamental capstone made of a single large block.

The piers are capped with pyramidal coping stones that flank the crest and lend the structure an appearance of austere sturdiness. - Markers Gravestones and markers in West Cemetery appear in a variety of forms, reflective of Colonial, Victorian, military and African American tastes. The earliest types of stone are Connecticut Valley Limestone and slate which were used from the late 18" through the first quarter of the 19th century. Markers from this period are most commonly cut in a rectangular form with an arched top, representative of the figurative portal between life and death. The shape is also considered an abstraction of the human head and shoulders. This form of marking the passage from life is a Puritan concept brought from Boston and elsewhere during the region's first settlement.

Markers with arched tops were ornamented with death's heads and cherubs on some West Cemetery examples - (continued) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior Nationai Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet 7 Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. 4 Section number Page such as the Reuben Ingram stone from 1791. Here, a simplified child-angel's head is surrounded by a sunburst pattern. Abstracted vegetation occupies the edge of the arched top which is flanked by smaller arches, or shoulders, ornamented with a running diamond pattern. Thankful Dickinson, deceased at the age of 61 in 1787, is remembered by a shouldered arched stone showing a death's head in its peak. The shoulders of this stone are articulated with abstract vegetation.

The most common carving on stones after the Colonial Period is the urn and willow motif. This appears on arched stones and square markers cut from slate, brownstone and marble dating from c. 1800 to the mid 19" century. The symbolism of the-urn is based on its representation of sorrow and grief. An early well-preserved example of the urn motif exists on the 1816 slate marker belonging to Miss Nancy Ingram (1793-1816). The form of the stone is that of a shouldered arch or portal, the peak of which is filled with a sunburst surrounding an urn with Classical swag ornaments. The inscription is rendered is a very clearly carved script. As is typical of the period, vital statistics of the deceased are given above a short verse. It reads, complete with idiosyncratic punctuation: "Miss/Nancy Ingram,/Daughter of Lieut John u/Susanna/Ingram, died 23/Septr,/crownd m day,/Thus!

My soul was snatched away." Punctuation after the item Septr appears below the final letter R. This is a convention observed from the first years of settlement of New England and survives here in a later example. This stone has been stabilized with a concrete footing. Several slate examples of the urn and willow design exist. The 1806 stone marking the grave of Nathaniel Dickinson has an arched top filled in by a weeping willow bent over an urn with Classical ornament. Carving on this stone is shallow, almost faint and lends a sense of delicacy to the inscription. Sides of the stone display Classical columns with plinth blocks and Ionic capitals, architectural elements being a common design motif on gravestones of this period. Other urn and willow carvings exist on slate and sandstone markers.

The second half of the 19th century saw the growth in popularity of the obelisk as a form of grave marker. An obelisk is a four-sided tapering shaft with a pyramidal point inspired by Classical imagery, dozens of which exist, some with variations, throughout the century. Perhaps the largest is the 1870marker of Oliver Watson (1806-1870), rendered in pink granite and surrounded by a low granite curbing with short ornamental piers. This obelisk adheres strictly to the four-sided, pyramid-capped definition and is articulated with a beltcourse of Classical molding above the base. Other traditionally interpreted obelisks appear at the plots of the Westcott, William A. Stearns (1805-1876), Edward Hitchcock and Dr. Robert Cutler (1749-1835) families, among others.

A more (continued) (PSFomm 10-900-s United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. Section number Page. 5 liberal interpretation of the obelisk is found at the gravesite of Dr. Timothy Gridley (1789-1852). The shaft of this monument is indeed comprised of four inward sloping sides, but the top is articulated not in a pyramid but with a course of Classical molding supporting a pair of wings, complete with sharply rendered feathers. The wing symbolizes the flight of time and temporal nature of individual human life, a concept deeply familiar to all physicians. A still more liberal interpretation of the obelisk form exists at the Martin K. Kellogg (1779-1856) plot.

This has a four-sided base with molded beltcourse supporting an octagonal, tapering shaft articulated with tall, narrow panels on alternate aspects and tassels between. The octagonal shaft is surmounted by an urn hung with drapery in the Classical manner. Approximately 25 other obelisks are present in West Cemetery and lend a great deal of character to the landscape. Their frequency caused them to be represented to the exclusion of all else in the 1886 bird's eye view of the town. In addition to obelisks and tablet markers, there are chest markers, a zinc monument and a table marker in West Cemetery. The chest marker is a rectangular stone set low to the ground. In West Cemetery, they often have pyramidal tops, are for the most part made of granite with one marble example, and mark graves of several leading families.

The oldest is the Dickinson chest markers, a cenotaph (a marker for someone buried elsewhere) commemorating the deaths of Samuel and Lucretia Dickinson (1775-1838, 1775-1840), Emily Dickinson's grandparents. Built of marble with a flared capstone and a swollen top, the marker has recessed side panels bearing inscriptions, and a flared base with the Dickinson name rendered in bold capital letters. Possibly the biggest chest marker is that of Esther Cutler. The pyramidal top has an ovolo molding at the edge with dentils below. The body of the chest is marked on the sides by polished panels bearing the single inscription, "Daughter of Doctor Cutler, 1819-1886" and at the corners by stout, engaged colonnettes, capped with acanthus leaves and volutes. The name of the deceased appears on the base of the chest below the inscription.

A more recent example of the chest marker appears at the George and Harriet Burnham (1817- 1893, 1818-1896) family gravesite. The Burnham (donor family of the Burnham Gates) stone is simpler than its Victorian counterparts and lack their fine detail. The inscription on the west side consists of just the name "Burnham" in a plain field of polished gray granite. Names and dates of eleven family members are on the east side. Ornament consists of Art Deco style abstract fluted columns at the corners with coiled and scrolled vegetation in the caps. The Harlow family monument is made of hollow zinc (also called white bronze). This unusual marker is the product of the Monumental Bronze Co. of Bridgeport, Connecticut which operated from the 1870s until after World War I. The five foot tall imitation stone (continued) OMB Approval No.

1024-0018 NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior Nationai Park Service Nationai Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. 7 Section number Page 6 is made to resemble quarry-faced granite in the form of a shortened obelisk. The top is ornamented by a rounded finial above a flared molding and hollow shaft. Below the shaft, the base flares in four peaked fascia, the northerly of which bears the family names William - 1804-1897 and Anna - 1848-1908. This is the only known zinc monument in West Cemetery, but they are documented in cemeteries across the nation. West Cemetery's only example of a table marker covers the grave of Rev. David Parsons (1712-1781). The inscription is carved on the horizontal tablet which is elevated three feet above grade.

Five legs, articulated as fluted piers with Classically molded bases and cap, are founded on a brownstone slab to support the table. African American graves The southeast corner is the location of a high concentration of African American graves. Approximately fifty stones mark graves of Black people. Most are limestone with very simple carvings and little ornament. The most ornate appears to the tablet marker belonging to Olive and Henry Jackson which is taller than others in the area and is articulated with four narrow stringcourses about its top. Most others bear inscriptions consisting of names and dates. Exceptions are the 1910 Charles Finnemore (1838- 1910) stone which relates information about his Civil War service, and the Genalvin Marse (1842-1901) stone was described being "Erected by the Boys of Chi Psi" fraternity in 1901. The stone of John D.

Thompson (1824-1864), "member, Co. B, First Mass. Colored Cavalry" is inscribed. "He had joined the Army Above, Farmer From Amherst, died of disease." Many others are illegible due to erosion and weathering. A slant marker, erected in 1961, indicates the location of five unknown Civil War veterans from Amherst, who either lacked markers or whose markers were lost. Four of the five may be Jason Champlin, Jarvis W. Jackson, Sanford Jackson and Henry Thompson, according to local historian James A. Smith. Building The only building in the cemetery is the small shed in the southwest corner near the Gaylord (west) Gates, built c. 1920. The shed is approximately 6 x 10', clad in novelty board with an asphalt shingle roof and a cinderblock foundation. Access is through the door on the south gable end wall. OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 (continued) OMB Approval No.

1024-0018 NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. Section number 7 Page Archaeological Description While no prehistoric sites are recorded in the West Cemetery, it is possible that sites are present. Three prehistoric sites are recorded in the general area (within one mile). Environmental characteristics of the property also indicate some locational criteria (slope, soil drainage, distance to wetlands) that are favorable indicators for several types of prehistoric sites. Soils in the cemetery are generally excessively drained, formed in glacial outwash and urban land deposits. These deposits are found in an undulating terrain of level to moderately sloping land surfaces.

The cemetery is, however, located well over 1000 feet from the nearest wetlands, an important variable that adversely effects the prehistoric site potential for this area. Given the above information, the size of the cemetery (approximately 4 acres) and the deep impacts associated with the excavation of burials during the cemeteries long period of use since the 18° century, a low potential exists for the recovery of significant prehistoric resources. A high potential exists for locating historic archaeological resources within and near the boundaries of the West Cemetery. Little, if any, historic use of the property has been identified prior to the first excavation of burials possibly dating to the early 18° century.

Further documentary research combined with archaeological survey and testing may help locate structural evidence from sheds or other outbuildings associated with the cemetery's operation and maintenance during its history. Archaeological evidence from a hearse house might survive in the northeast corner of the cemetery where its location can be documented in an 1886 bird's eye view of the town. Similar evidence from earlier barns, tool sheds and other small structures may also exist. Post molds related to fences and gates can also be present around boundaries for the cemetery and around subdivisions within the cemetery bounds. Stratigraphic evidence from roadways and landscape features no longer visible may also be present. Artifacts and features. associated with actual graves should represent the most numerous archaeological resources present in the West Cemetery.

Further historical research combined with archaeological survey and testing can help locate unmarked graves, grave markers and document associations between existing gravestones and actual graves. Individual graves, the earliest of which date to the 18° century, may include skeletal remains in addition to clothing and other personal items interred with each individual. Funerary objects including coffin remains and artifacts associated with the initial internment(s) and later memorials may also be present with individuals or groups of graves. A grave shaft discernable in the soil stratigraphy should be present with individual and multiple interments. Archaeological testing may also identify head and foot stones that are overgrown and presently not visible on the surface. (end) Amherst West Cemetery Name of Property 8. Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.) x A Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. _ B Property is associated with the lives of persons Significant in our past. X C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. _ D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, Information important in prehistory or history. Criteria Considerations (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.) Property is: _A owned by religious institution or used for Religious purposes. _B removed from its original location.

_ C a birthplace or grave. X D a cemetery. _E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. _ F a commemorative property. _G less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past 50 years. Narrative Statement of Significance (Explain the significance of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) Hampshire, MA. County and State Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions) ART COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT ETHNIC HERITAGE SOCIAL HISTORY Period of Significance 1730-1950 Significant Dates Significant Person (Complete if Criterion B is marked above) Cultural Affiliation N/A Architect/Builder 9.

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

Major Bibliographical References (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.) Previous documentation on file (NPS): Primary location of additional data: _ Preliminary determination of individual listing (36 X State Historic Preservation Office CFR 67) has been requested - Other State agency _ Previously listed in the National Register Federal agency - previously determined eligible by the National X Local government Register _ University _ Designated a National Historic Landmark Other _ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey # Name of repository: - recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # NPS Form 10-900-a 8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass.

Section number - 8 Page - 1 8. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Introduction West Cemetery is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under riteria A and C at the local level. The cemetery justifies listing under criterion A for its assocation with events that have made a contribution to broad patterns of history West Cemetery has functioned as a place of burial to Amherst's residents since 1730 and was its principal cemetery until 1885. Members of the town's entire social, economic and ethnic groups are interred her. Early burials are recorded in slate and Connecticut Valley limestone, a locally popular material for gravestones. Also, the cemetery is significant under criterion C for its embodiment of distinctive characteristics of 18th ", 19" and 20* century landscape and grave marker design.

Well- preserved Colonial Period slate grave stones, intricately carved Victorian marbles, Art Deco style chest markers and a hollow zinc monument are present. Colonial Period stone combine with a loose interpretation of Rural cemetery grounds dating from the mid 19th century. The surviving vestige of thé meandering road constructed in the 1850s represents a simplistic version of the gracefully curving circulation paths that mark more formally designed and landscaped cemeteries. Due to the high quality of the monuments and markers and to the strong association of the cemetery with the development of the town, West Cemetery satisfies Nation Register Criterion Consideration D. Western Massachusetts experienced a slow progression from Puritanism to more modern Congregational and Unitarian religions due to its isolated location within the state.

For this reason, it and the surrounding towns retained qualities of pre-Revolution life well into the 19th century. Slate gravestones and death's head motifs recalling 17th century coastal New England burials remained in vogue later than in other areas, a trend that is illustrated in West Cemetery. By the Victorian period, mortality signs such as sheaves of wheat, urns and willow trees begin to be carved on limestone and marble slabs to mark peoples' passing with messages rendered in symbols. While several nationally prominent people were influenced by their Amherst experiences and drew upon them in fashioning notable careers, many more people lived so that only their neighbors recognized the town's beneficial influence and the advantages it conferred.

Hundreds of residents with more simple backgrounds and modest achievements are interred in West Cemetery such as the African American mail carrier (continued) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 (PSF rm 10-900-2 United States Department of the Interior Nationai Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. Section number 8 Page 2 Steven Hasbrook, and Charles Pettyjohn who was a roofing contractor and small businessman. OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Colonial Period - Centre Burying Ground West Cemetery was voted into existence by the Hadley town government in 1730 as the burying ground for their East or Third Precinct. A three-person committee was chosen, consisting of the French and Indian and Revolutionary War veteran John Ingram, storekeeper John Nash, Jr.

and Samuel Boltwood, to oversee the adoption of the new one-acre and 20 rod burying ground, "joining on Nathaniel Church's West lot." The property at that time was accessed via and alley or narrow piece of land connecting North Pleasant Street and did not occupy land as far east as present-day Triangle Street. Amherst became independent of Hadley in 1786 and acquired proprietorship of the burying ground at that time. It is referred to as the "Centre Burying Ground" of Amherst and remained the principal place of interment until the establishment of the North and South Burying Grounds in 1818. Wildwood Cemetery was established in 1885, a result of the trend in rural cemetery design promoted by the Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. Located off North Pleasant Street in the heart of town, the Centre Burying Ground was in view of many of the town's residents on a daily basis.

The oldest stone belongs to John Scott, a slave-owning schoolteacher from Palmer who died in 1737. It is a crudely carved piece of Connecticut Valley limestone with asymmetrical lettering and no extraneous inscription such as funeral verse. Its Puritan simplicity is reflective of life in Amherst during the Colonial Period. Interments were performed by pallbearers and without benefit of hearse until 1802, after which the town provided for construction of the funereal vehicle. A hearse house was a common feature of graveyards of this period to house the vehicle. The hearse house (no longer extant) was located at the northeast corner on the 1866 bird's eye view of the town. Prior to 1832 burials took place in the southwest corner of the current burial ground, and little organization was exerted on the arrangement of the stones, which are closely spaced and not in straight rows.

This corner has the highest concentration of early markers and retains the density of stones characteristic of the Colonial Period. Most stones from the period have inscriptions oriented to the west. West-facing inscriptions and east facing burials were the rule so that the deceased could face the sunrise and visitors could read stone without treading on the grave. Simple portal-shaped markers engraved with death's heads are typical in this region of New England where Puritan doctrines were slower to evolve into Unitarian or Congregational beliefs. (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass.

Section number 8 Page 3 After 1832, records reveal that the town acquired over two additional acres, tripling the size of the 1730 burial ground, and connecting it to Triangle Street. The additional acreage is located north and east of the original ground. Narrow paths and alleys constructed around 1833 for circulation paths are slightly visible as shallow, linear east- west oriented depressions. Many are now occupied by burials and disrupted by later 19" century curvilinear circulation paths. While some other small land acquisitions have occurred, the boundaries of the 1833 burial ground resemble quite closely those in use today. Among the Colonial and Federal Period burials at 67 Revolutionary war veterans, identified by markers placed around the turn of the 20t* century by the Mary Matoon Chapter of the DAR, some of which have been stolen.

Inscriptions from this time tend to be short, often carved with dates of death, age in years and a brief verse. Elisha Boltwood's stone is typical, reading "Sacred to the memory of Mr. Elisha Boltwood who died August 14* , 1804, in the 36* year of his age. Amidst of life we are in death/Stop reader & learn to die." Some stones placed during the Federal and Victorian periods have names of carvers inscribed near their base. S. Daughterty (Dougherty) of Whately carved his name or initials on at least four stones dating to the first decade of the 19* century. Other carvers' names appear in the cemetery but not at that level of frequency. Their names include J. Rillers, N. Haven Ct. on the 1839 stone of Austin Dickinson; H. Woods, Sunderland on the 1841 stone of Mrs. Rebecca Dickinson; T.L. Dorsey, Amherst on the 1854 stone of Sylvanus Church; C.

Sabin, Amherst on the 1849 marker of Leonard Hills; N.A. Spencer, Ayer on the 1876 marker of Mrs. Charles Kellogg; O.S. Latham on the 1874 stone of Aaron S. Barton; Clapp (probably Amherst resident Oliver Clapp) on the 1855 stone of Julia Bentley; and Botsford & Phillips, N.H. on Deborah Shepard's 1841 stone. The variety of carver names may be attributable to the fact that the business of gravestone carving was not sufficient by itself to provide a craftsman with his living. Stone researchers such as Edmund V. Gillon Jr. have suggested they worked as skilled tradesmen in related areas such as leather-working, brazing and carpentry. Trades where carving of any sort or specialized work with hand tools was required may have allowed a variety of part time carvers to emerge. The number of carvers documented here would support such a theory as Gillon's.

While several regional carvers have been described in works such as Allen Ludwig's Graven Images, and Harriette M. Forbes' Grave Stones of Early New England..., none were shown to have carved stones in West Cemetery and no correlation of names appeared on site. Some stones are inscribed with prices written both in pounds and in dollars. These bear comparison with other recorded costs of stones found in carvers' account books, probate records of the (continued) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. Section number 8 Page 4 deceased and marked directly on stones in other cemeteries. Amounts are recorded from $3.50 on a 1807 stone of Sabra Pomeroy to $15 paid S.

Daugherty for the 1806 Roswell Paine stone. Prices are typical of those paid to other New England carvers Victorian Period Markers at West Cemetery According to scholar David Stannard in his book Puritan Way of Death, funereal simplicity is based upon the stability of society and its resistance to change. Burials with little ceremony were a reflection of people's security in their beliefs in the afterlife. After having been separated from sturdy British culture for some years, that resistance was flagging in Victorian America. New social attitudes and religious perspectives were arising. The uncertainty associated with change generated increased elaborateness of burial ceremony, making way for ornate markers, lengthy inscriptions and an increasingly complex iconography of death.

In combination with decreasing social stability, attention paid to Enlightenment-borne principles fostered a move away from the emotional and fear-based icons like the death's head and hourglass images to more secular ones such as sheep, sheaves, urns and willows. It is during the Victorian Period that wealthy citizens began to arrange for more massive memorials, distinctly more ornate than their less well-off neighbors. Family plots with tall obelisks, flanked by numerous smaller stones for individual members begin to appear. Icons such as wings representing fleeting time, sheep or lambs that depict innocence became common. An increasing variety of marker types as well as icons appear in the now renamed West Cemetery in the mid-late 19th century. Wings and sheaves of wheat now decorate limestone and marble stones.

Slate and the brown Connecticut Valley sandstone used heretofore begin to fall out of use, disapproved because of their lack of durability. Suggestions for gravestone design appear in catalogs as early as 1846 in the form of J. Jay Smith's publication described as "Designs for Monuments and Mural Tablets Adapted to Rural Cemeteries, Church Yards, Churches and Chapels" and by the 1890s, catalogs of prefabricated stone are available, such as Cook and Watkins' #4 design book of granite and marble monuments and memorials. These become more popular by the turn of the century, and include a novel maker type using zinc or "white bronze," one of which exists in West Cemetery. Even Sears, Roebuck & Company sold stone through the mail. Doubtless, the universal nature of 19t century grave stone iconography owes something to the dissemination of information in this way.

(continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. Section number 8 5 Page The first African American burials appear in the mid 19t century. While it is known that Blacks were interred prior to this time, no stone survive to indicate their locations. A stone placed in 1961 marks the location five Black Civil War veterans, possibly Jason Champlin, Jarvis and Samuel Jackson, Henry Thompson and one unidentified interment. At least two of these four soldiers, Champlin and Samuel Jackson, were members of the Massachusetts 54* Regiment of volunteers. Others were mustered into the 5* Cavalry. The quintet may have been buried under a wooden marker or at an unmarked site which allowed them to become forgotten.

The site is speculated to belong to soldiers due to the presence in 1935 of GAR markers in the area (these have since been removed by vandals). Charles Finnemore was another veteran and member of the 54th Regiment who has been buried with an individual stone. Genalvin Marse, an employee of an Amherst College fraternity was buried in the southern edge of the cemetery under a stone erected by the "Boys of Chi Psi" in 1901. Dozens of other stones of a variety of types in this section describe the segregationist policy of the town's cemetery commission until the 20* century. However, Amherst was not the only segregated cemetery, and in fact it seems to have become racially integrated earlier than some others. Indeed, the Arlington National Cemetery was integrated in 1948, long after Blacks in Amherst had been buried in West Cemetery.

Other Civil War veterans are present and other African Americans are dispersed among the cemetery's acreage. African Americans are not the only group buried in concentration. Seven Amherst College students have individual stones with dates from 1824-1884 marking their adjacent resting places. As the Victorian period progressed maintenance and administrative procedures at West Cemetery evolved. The increasing numbers of burials and changing tastes aroused interest in updating the look and arrangement of the cemetery. Along with the growing reputation of Cambridge's Mt. Auburn Cemetery came the more common use of_the word "cemetery" for what used to be called a burying ground or graveyard.

Towns and cities reacted to the rural cemetery movement by landscaping, planting and beautifying their graveyards, and Amherst was no exception although it did not formalize the plan of West Cemetery to the degree that some other towns did. It remained rather simple but was upgraded between 1833 and 1854 with new fencing, a town tomb, curvilinear roads and some landscaping according to the general principles at work in Cambridge. A plan of the road built through the cemetery in 1854 depicts a gravel road between nine and sixteen feet in width connecting Triangle Street (built c. 1820) and North Pleasant Street with an intermediate loop bypassing the new Town Tomb. This evolved into the current figurer 8 circulation path and superseded the east-west alleys that separated the graves into rows.

Some alleys remain visible as shallow depressions in the ground, but many (continued) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Registér of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. 8 Page 6 Section number have become the site of graves. During this period, the town undertook the expense of providing lots for burial to its residents at no cost. The town employed a sexton for around eight dollars yearly. Another significant development in the appearance of the cemetery occurred in 1860 when the town expanded its area by purchasing land from Salon Hastings for $95. The town also paid $105 for "fencing et cetera" installed by J. Ayres.

In 1871 the town further improved the function of the cemetery by adding more land as well as gravel to the road built in 1854, constructing fencing, an improved drainage system and making available 156 new lots. Town employees moved the hears house (no longer extant) to the rear of the cemetery, and painted and repaired the existing five-foot high picket and plain board fence. After spending $1098, perhaps the town felt the need to begin charging residents for the right to be buried in West Cemetery and so began charging around $10 per plot. Land around West Cemetery was in use mostly for residential and small industrial purposes. Maps from 1856 indicate three houses on North Pleasant Street, including that of Emily Dickinson's family, were adjacent to the cemetery.

Emily Dickinson is noted for her poetic thoughts about death which may be in part attributable to her proximity to the cemetery for 15 of her formative years (1840-1855, 9-24 years of age). It is said that she could see the funerals taking place from her bedroom window. A joiner's shop and a cabinet shop are farther north on Pleasant Street. Between 1902 and 1930, the Amherst Laundry Company and an auto service and sales station were constructed near the cemetery, giving it a semi-industrial and commercial context which it retains today. Numerous significant Victorian Period markers exist in the cemetery. The most well- known is that of Emily Dickinson (1830-1886). Grass in front of her stone is worn and devotees continually leave behind trinkets of affection.

Her stone is arranged next to that of her sister Lavinia and those of her grandparents Samuel and Lucretia, and parents Edward and Emily. All are matching granite slab markers surrounded by a cast iron fence of pointed arch pattern. Samuel Fowler Dickinson, a Dartmouth College alumnus of 1795, taught school at New Salem, Massachusetts for a year and then studied law in Amherst under Judge Simeon Strong. He also began preparations for the ministry and alternately pursued both careers for the rest of his life. His success in the practice of law allowed him to build the town's first brick dwelling in 1813, the Homestead, which would be Emily's home for most of her life. Samuel Fowler Dickinson took a leading role in founding Amherst College, raising money, volunteering legal and (continued) OMB Approval No.

1024-0018 NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior Nationai Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. 8 Section number Page other services and finally mortgaging his house to pay off notes he owed for constructions of its buildings. Samuel Dickinson was involved in the founding of Amherst Academy, a secondary institution that his son and grandson would later attend. He was elected to the Massachusetts legislature for a dozen years in the 1820s and 1830s. He would later be forced to leave Amherst in order to make a living at the Lane Theological Seminary in Ohio with his friend Lyman Beecher. He later worked as treasurer of Western Reserve College, where he died in 1838. He was first buried there, and later re-interred at West Cemetery.

Emily's uncle William had a cenotaph erected in his parents' memory before they were returned to Amherst. The limestone chest marker is a short distance to the south of the grave. Lucretia Gunn Dickinson, Emily's - grandmother, was from nearby Montague, Massachusetts. Emily's father Edward was born in the town, attended Yale and Amherst College, and like his father, studied law. Edward Dickinson approximated his father's interest in local politics and the educational institutions. He was town moderator, treasurer for Amherst College, state legislator, major in the militia, 1852 Whig convention delegate, U.S. representative, and he was offered but declined the Massachusetts lieutenant governor nomination. He was a local social leader, hosted Gen. George McClellan, involved himself in founding the Amherst & Belchertown Railroad, and constructed telegraph networks.

He died with holding political office in Boston, his death reported in newspapers across the commonwealth. Emily Norcross Dickinson, mother of the poet, was a native of Monson, Massachusetts. Lavinia Dickinson, the poet's sister, was Emily's confidant. It was "Vinnie" who recognized her sister's talent before she died and later sought to get Emily's body of work edited and published. Emily's brother Austin is buried in Wildwood Cemetery, Amherst. Emily was active in Amherst social life, writing letters to friends, winning second prize for her bread at the fair and gaining a reputation as an excellent gardener, until around her 30t birthday when she withdrew into her upstairs bedroom to write poetry. She received few visitors, particularly from outside the family. She saw her sister, her brother Austin and occasionally her sister-in-law, Susan.

Her friends included the author Helen Hunt Jackson and the writer Thomas Wentworth Higginson, among a number of other short-term visitors to social leaders of the town with whom Emily was well connected. The Dickinson family was involved in local, state and national politics, the practice of law, social activities with leading figures, regionally important businesses and industry, arts and letters, spiritual matters, founding and operating educational institutions and creation of world-renowned artistic expression in the form of Emily's poetry. All but her brother Austin and his wife Susan are buried in a single small plot at West Cemetery. (continued) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 (PS1om 10-900-2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No.

1024-0018 Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. Section number Page. 8 Dr. Timothy Gridley (1789-1852) is remembered by a brownstone obelisk with wings atop the shaft. His life and personality are also noted by several chroniclers of the town's history. He attended Yale University, class of 1818, are returned to Amherst to practice medicine, working in partnership with Isaac Cutler. Dr. Gridley was also town moderator and a member of the state legislature in the 1820s. Dr. Gridley's two wives and three children are buried here as well. Leonard M.Hills (1803-1873) was an industrialist in Amherst, founding what some have called the largest straw hat manufactory in the world. He, his wife Amelia and three of his children are remembered by a brownstone fluted obelisk surmounted by an urn. Mr.

Hills began in business in 1829, making palm leaf hats and continued to grow his business until his retirement in 1877. The business was later sold to the H.D. Fearing Company. William A. Stearns (1805-1876) was the fourth president of Amherst College (1854- 1876). This term coincides with the time he spent as minister of the Amherst College Church. He and his family are buried in a large plot marked with curb stones, corner stones and a low entry gate. The center of the plot is the site of a tall granite obelisk bearing the name "STEARNS." He attended Harvard and acted as pastor of the First Congregational Church in Cambridgeport for 23 years, after which he moved to Amherst to assume leadership of the College.

Professor Stearns is credited with locating the Massachusetts Agricultural College (later the University of Massachusetts) in town, and with enlarging the Amherst College campus with four buildings: Barre, Walker and College halls, and the College Church. William Smith Clark (1818-1886) was the third president of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, serving from 1867 to 1879. Although he was primarily a scholar and college administrator, his range of accomplishments includes founding the Amherst Gas Light Company, presiding over the Amherst Water Company, serving as a Colonel in the Civil War, and later as a Massachusetts state legislator. He later taught botany and horticulture at Amherst College, and later set up and administered the Imperial University of Hokkaido, Japan. He lived in a Gothic Revival style house on Pleasant Street with an ornate garden.

Clark's gravestone was planted with an ornamental Camperdown Elm tree that survived until the 1960s, when it was replaced with a Sergeant Cherry. Modern Period 20th century developments at the cemetery consist primarily of the construction of the Triangle Street Gates and adjoining wall in 1955. Built of cut granite, the gates_provide (continued) NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior Nationai Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. 8 Section number Page 9 a more formal appearance to the northeast and principal entrance. Money for the gates was donated by Alice Burnham, who is remembered with other members of her family by an Art Deco style chest marker in the eastern side of the West Cemetery. Many other significant persons are buried in the West Cemetery.

Educators, industrialists, business people and others who contributed to the development of the town for 260 years are present in a cemetery that resembles its appearance in 1832. Burials at West Cemetery continue to the present. An effort is currently under way by the town to document the existing physical- conditions in West Cemetery in order to create and implement a preservation plan. Vandalism and natural forces of deterioration have damaged stones, plantings and the landscape of the cemetery. Consultants Denig Design Associates have been retain to perform this work. Archaeological Significance Historic archaeological resources described above have the potential to provide detailed information on the social, cultural and economic characteristics representative of a wide range of Amherst's population from the 18th through 20"* centuries.

The West Cemetery includes hundreds of burials ranging from residents with simple backgrounds and modest achievments to more noteworthy residents such as poet Emily Dickinson. Community members belonging to all of the town's social, economic and ethnic groups are interred at the West Cemetery. Additional historical research together with archaeological survey and testing can be used to document the land use of the cemetery prior to the founding of the town and its assumed proprietorship in 1786. Historic records, post molds indicating fence lines, unmarked burials and grave stones dating as early as 1737 may indicate evidence for the existence of a communal or family burial ground that predates the incorporation of the town and actual founding of the West Cemetery.

Earlier stones that predate 1786 might also represent commemorative markers for individuals or groups of individuals that died elsewhere or whose actual burial locations have been lost. Unmarked graves and commemorative markers may represent an important and common type of funerary feature at the West Cemetery. The presence of unmarked graves has been speculated for potential burials that predate 1737. Any burials located from this period would be highly significant through their potential to contribute information on the town's earliest inhabitants including Yankee farmers, African Americans and slaves. Many early graves may be concentrated in the southwest corner of the current burial ground where most burials took place prior to 1832. However, early graves might also be located in other areas of the cemetery (continued) OMB Approval No.

1024-0018 NPSFom 10-900-s United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Section number 8 Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. Page 10 based on earlier burial patterns and racial or ethnic segregation. Archaeological investigations might also produce evidence of commemorative markers or gravestones lacking actual burial pits or, representing one or more unknown burials. Early gravestones may actually represent individuals who died elsewhere and were commemorated after their death by family or friends at the West Cemetery. This mortuary custom has been observed at other cemeteries in Massachusetts and the region.

Archaeological evidence can also document the extent to which a slant marker erected in 1961 represents the actual sites of graves for 5 African American Civil War Veterans known to be interred at the West Cemetery. This group may have originally been buried at an unmarked site or with a wooden marker. Archaeological research can help identify these graves as well as later unmarked graves resulting from stolen, damaged, and overgrown stones. Eighteenth and nineteenth century unmarked graves may also be present representing paupers and other unknown persons. Archaeological research can also help test the accuracy of the existing boundaries at the cemetery. These bounds may not accurately represent the actual cemetery boundaries. Some burials, possibly those of unknown persons, paupers or other indigent persons, may have intentionally been buried outside the cemetery boundary.

Artifact distributions may also be present associated with funerary or memorial services for specific individuals at their time of death or individuals and groupings of individuals (possibly the entire burial ground) at later dates. This information can be highly significant by providing documentation of burial customs and practices for specific racial and ethnic groups living in the Amherst area. Information may be present indicating the extent to which burial customs and practices might be related to an individual or groups home of origin prior to immigration to the Amherst area. Much of the above information can be obtained through unobtrusive archaeological research. That is, information can be obtained by mapping artifact concentrations and the locations of features such as grave shafts and post molds without disturbing actual skeletal remains.

Remote sensing techniques of investigation might also prove useful. Social, cultural and economic information relating to the 18" and 19t century Amherst settlement can be obtained in this manner, however, more detailed studies can be implemented through the actual excavation of burials and their analysis. Osteological studies of individuals interred at the burial ground have the potential to offer a wealth of information relating to the overall physical appearance of the town's inhabitants, their occupations, nutrition, pathologies and cause of death. This information can be used to determine the actual number of individuals interred at the burial ground.

The same information can also provide important information relating to specific social groups in the town including African Americans and the practice of slavery in the early history of (continued) (-55 10-900-9 United States Department of the Interior Nationai Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. Section number 8 Page. 11 the settlement. The overall context of the grave, including material culture remains can provide information on burial practices, religious beliefs, economic status, family structure and numerous other topics relating to the individual, the overall settlement and, the Congregational society. OMB Approval No.

1024-0018 (end) (P5F 10900-9 United States Department of the Interior Nationai Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. Section number 9 Page 1 9. BIBLIOGRAPHY African American Historical Sites, Amherst, Massachusetts. Amherst: Amherst Historical Museum, n.d. Revised by Melinda LeLacheur. Atlas of Massachusetts, the Chronology of Events in the Development of the Town of Amherst, 1727-1974. Compiled by Mary Mattoon Chapter, D.A.R., 1975. Amherst. Map. Boston: Pendleton's Lithography, 1833. Amherst. Map. 1794 series. Amherst. Map. 1830 series. Amherst. Map. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1899, 1902, 1910, 1916, 1930. Amherst. Map. Troy, N.Y.: L.R. Burleigh lithography, 1886. Amherst. Map. New York: F.W. Beers, 1873. Amherst. Town Records. Plan of Roads in the Centre Burying Ground, 1854.

Amherst Town Reports, 1843-1878. Bell, Edward L. Vestiges of Mortality & Remembrance: A Bibliography on the Historical Archaeology of Cemeteries. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1994. Bridgman, Thomas. Inscriptions on the Gravestones in the Graveyards of Northampton. Northampton: Hopkins, Bridgman & Co., 1850. Carpenter and Morehouse, compilers and publishers. History of the Town of Amherst, Massachusetts. Amherst, 1896. Chase, Theodore, and Laurel K. Gabel. Gravestone Chronicles. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1997. Forbes, Harriette Merrifield. Gravestones of Early New England and the Men Who Made Them 1653-1800. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1927. (continued) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 MPSFam 10-900- United States Department of the Interior Nationai Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass.

Section number 9 Page 2 Gillon, Edmund Vincent, Jr. Early New England Gravestone Rubbings. N.Y.: Dover, 1966. Gray, William Burton. Hampshire County, Mass. 1654-1887. Syracuse: Wm. B. Gray & Co., 1887. Hampshire County. Map. Boston: H.F. Walling, 1856. Jackson, Kenneth T., and Camilio Jose Vergara. Silent Cities. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1989. - Lost Amherst. Amherst Historical Commission, 1980. Ludwig, Allan I. Graven Images: New England Stone Carving and its Symbols, 1650-1815. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1966. Manley, Jill Marion. Emily Dickinson in Amherst. Ketchum, ID: Computer Lab, 1989. McCloud and Williams. Amherst Record Almanac of 1878. Amherst: 1878. Mount Holyoke. Map. United States Geological Survey, 1941, 1948. Mount Toby. Map. United States Geological Survey, 1941. Poets in Amherst. Exhibit, Jones Library, Amherst. Rand, Frank Prentice.

The Village of Amherst, A Landmark of Light. Amherst: Amherst Historical Society, 1958. Resident Directories, 1869-1951. Romaine, Lawrence B. A Guide to American Trade Catalogs, 1744-1790. New York: R.R. Bowker Company, 1960. Rotundo, Barbara. "Monumental Bronze: A Representative American Company." Cemeteries and Gravemarkers: Voice of American Culture, ed. Richard Meyer. Ann Arbor, London: UMI Research Press, 1989. Sears Roebuck & Company. Catalog No. 111. 1902. Reprinted 1986, Bounty Books. (continued) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 RPS Fom 10-900-9 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Amherst(Vampeme Co.), Mass. Section number 9 3 Page Sewall, Richard B. The Life of Emily Dickinson. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 1974. Smith, James Avery.

History of the African American Population of Amherst, Massachusetts, 1729-1870. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1999. Stannard, David E. The Puritan Way of Death. New York: Oxford U. Press, 1977. Stilgoe, John. Common Landscape of America, 1580-1845. New Haven: Yale tJ. Press, 1982. Tashjian, Ann and Dickran Tashjian. "The Afro-American Section of Newport, Rhode Island's Common burying Ground." Cemeteries and Gravemarkers: Voices of American Culture. Ed. Richard Meyer. Ann Arbor and London: UMI Research Press, 1989. Wolff, Cynthia Griffin. Emily Dickinson. New York: Knopf, 1986. United States, Bureau of the Census. Federal Census of the United States, 1790, 1800, 1840, 1870. Walker, Alice M. Historic Homes of Amherst. Amherst Historical Society, 1905. West Cemetery Records. Compiled by James Smith. Zoning Map of Amherst. 1927.

Prepared by the Amherst Planning Board, Arthur K. Harrison, chair. OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 -*. (end) : _Amherst West Cemetery Name of Property Amherst, MA County, State 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Propertyapprox. 4 UTM References See continuation sheet. (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet) 1. 18 704300 4694660 Zone Easting Northing "Zone Easting Northing 3. Zone Easting 4. Zone Easting _ See continuation sheet Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.) Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.) 11.

Form Prepared By name/title_Sanford Johnson, preservation consultant, with Betsy Friedberg, NR Director, MHC organization Massachusetts Historical Commission date April 2000 street & number 220 Morrissey Boulevard Northing Northing telephone 617-727-8430 city or town Boston state MA zip code 02125 Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: Continuation Sheets A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. A sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Photographs Representative black and white photographs of the property.

Additional items (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) Property Owner (Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.) name Town of Amherst street & number 4 Boltwood Avenue telephone 413-256-4001 city or town Amherst state MA _zip code 01002 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate roperties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain enefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.

470 et seq.) Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of thinaremeth and Budget, iraprativr Reduesons Projec (1024-Dats, Washipton, DC 2027, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Ofice of HPS Fom 10-900-a United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. Section number_10 Page 1 10.

GEOGRAPHICAL DATA UTM References (clockwise from the northeast corner) Zone 18 18 18 18 18 Easting 704380 704370 704280 704190 704190 Northing 4694720 4694620 4694550 4694550 4694590 - Verbal Boundary Description The West Cemetery comprises all of the land within the bounds of the cemetery. It is bounded by Triangle Street on the northeast and by properties on Kellogg, Pleasant and Pray Streets. The area encompasses approximately four acres within the central business district, described by the assessor's office as Plot 279, map 11C. Boundary Justification The boundaries of the nomination were determined by staff of the Massachusetts Historical Commission and by the Amherst Historical Commission. The boundaries include all gravestones, burial-related buildings, structures, circulation paths and ornamental plantings.

The clarity of the boundaries is marked by the fence that surrounds the cemetery on all sides. (end) : (Nes Form 10-900 -a. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number Page. OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire Co.), Mass. PHOTOGRAPHS Taken by: Sanford Johnson Date: June 1999 Negatives on file at: Amherst Planning Department 1. Triangle Street entrance, Burnham gates. View looking NW 2. Dickinson family plot looking E. Emily Dickinson stone, second from left 3. David Parker table marker, 1781. View looking S. 4. Wooden maintenance building, looking W 5. Timothy Gridley marker, looking NE 6. Harlow marker, looking SE 7. Town tomb, looking N 8.

Ella Brooks family marker, looking SW - (end) Map.# 'ame 1 West Cemetery 2 Dickinson, Emily 3 Dickinson, Lavinia 4 Dickinson, Edward; Dickinson. Emily Norcross. 5 Gridley, Dr. Timothy 6 Stearns, William 7 Clark, William S. 8 Finnemore, Charles, 9 Parker, Capt.

Eli 10 Parsons, David 11 Town Tomb - 12 Cutler, Esther 13 Hills, Leonard 14 Watson, O 15 Kingman, Cyrus C = Contributing Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire County) Massachusetts District Data Sheet Resource Type Cemetery Limestone marker Limestone marker Limestone marker Brownstone marker Granite Obelisk Granite chest marker Limestone marker Slate marker Brownstone table marker Granite tomb Granite chest marker Brownstone obelisk Pink granite obelisk Marble Obelisk iDates 1730 1830- 1886 1833-1899 1803-1874; 1804-1882 1789-1852 1805-1876 1826-1886 1838-1910 1763-1840 11781 1851 1886 1872 1803-1870 1794-1854 Material Earth, stone Limestone Limestone Limestone Brownstone Granite Granite Limestone Slate Brownstone Granite Granite Brownstone Pink Granite Marble 1 NC =Non Contributing B = Building O = Object Si/C O/C O/C O/C O/C O/C O/C O/C O/C O/C St/C O/C O/C O/C O/C Si = Site Status St = Structure 16 Boltwood, Lucius 17 Kellogg, Martin K.

18 African American Civil War Soldiers 19 Finnemore, Sarah 20 Joy, Levi 21 John Scott 22 Burnham Memorial Gate 23 West stone wall 24 Circulation system 25 Fence 26 Maintenance Building 27 Gaylord Gates 28 Dickinson, Samuel; Dickinsou, Lucretia Amherst West Cemetery Amherst (Hampshire County) Massachusetts District Data Sheet 1Resource Type Granite marker Brownstone obelisk Granite marker Limestone marker Limestone marker Connecticut Limestone Wall and entrance Wall Roads Fence Wood Framed Building Stone Piers Chest marker, limestone marker 2 Dates 1792-1872 1854 1961 1842 1785-1849 1737 1954 Granite Brownstone Granite Limestone Limestone Limestone Stone 19th Century Granite 1854 Earth, asphalt, gravel 19th C.- 20° C. Metal, wood ca.

1920 Wood 1907 1775-1838; 1775-1840 Granite Marble, Limestone O/C O/C O/NC O/C O/C O/C St/NC St/C St/C St/C B/C St/C O/C C = Contributing NC = Non Contributing B = Building 0=Object Si = Site St = Structure WALL 27 6 23 HEDGE / 2 / 28 21 10 4 3 2 6 9 CHAIN LINK 24 5 19 20 8,8 TRIANGLE STONE WALL LENTN 24 25 15 13 16 HEDGE 17 25 CHRINLINK sketch Map west cenetorn District Arherrt Hampshire Cs, MAsS.

NuMbers sie Photo Lacttons UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET NOMINATION Amherst West Cemetery REQUESTED ACTION: PROPERTY NAME: MULTIPLE NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Hampshire DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 4/24/00 5/26/00 REFERENCE NUMBER: 00000534 DATE OF PENDING LIST: DATE OF 45TH DAY: 5/10/00 6/08/00 REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: OTHER: REQUEST: N COMMENT WAIVER: DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N SAMPLE: SLR DRAFT: N N VACCEPT RETURN REJECT ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTSEntered in the National Register LESS THAN 50 YEARS: PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: NATIONAL: 5/26/00 DATE N N N RECOM./CRITERIA REVIEWER TELEPHONE DISCIPLINE DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N west cereter, sutrict ahest darpóhire co.

Mnss SaNFord Johuson 6/99 triawgle st Burnhan qete ness at planwins Dept west west cerntern Jistrict asberst Marpshire ea. Mss Saufard Jhuson 6/99 Emily Dkkins on Enrily Plst East ness st plauning dept west cerctery Districts asherst, Hasprhire co, Moss Serford Joluson 6/59 parsuns Marker south vogs @ plauning sept west cereten Antn'ct arherst, Nampshire co. MAss Sanford vohuso- 6/99 shed north veps it phunins dept west ceruter sistrict antrerst tampshire co. Mass Sauford Johnso 6/99 Gridley marker East vess it plauniva sept HARLOTK 340-150% EURNHANT CUE 0 WILLIAR AAMLIN KARLOL 1848-1900 west cerretery District 6 erhest Hampshire co. M9ss Sanford JoLwson 6/99 Zine Harlow Marker sath veas it plarmins dept west cereton sistrict inbest tampotive co, MAsS SaNfurd Johwosar 6/59 Town Tonb. North ness it shourins Dept U LO NROE 19 681 west cereton sistrict ashest Harpohire co.

Miss Sarford Jolmson sfricon Arerien stom sath vess ot plawins sept The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts Historical Commission April 19,2000 Ms. Carol Shull National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service Mail Stop 2280, Suite 400 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20240 Dear Ms. Shull: Enclosed please find the following nomination form: West Cemetery, Amherst (Hampshire) MA The nomination has been voted eligible by the State Review Board and has been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. The owners of the property were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30 to 45 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment.

Sincerely, sely tredleg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission enclosure Cc: Donald Frizzle, Chair, Amherst Historical Commission Sanford Johnson, Preservation Consultant Bryan Harvey, Amherst Board of Selectmer William O'Neill, Chair, Planning Board 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 - (617) 727-8470 Fax: (617) 727-5128 - TDD: 1-800-392-6090 www.state.ma.us/sec/mbc