East Parish Burying Ground
Encyclopedia
East Parish Burying Ground, also known as Centre Street Burying Ground or Centre Street Cemetery, is an historic cemetery located at Centre and Cotton streets in the village of Newton Corner
in the city of Newton, Massachusetts
. On December 23, 1983, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. It has been called the "most important, the most evocative and also the most fragile historic site in the city."
(West Parish) and Eliot Church. First Church's last church building at 1115 Centre Street in Newton Centre
is now the Greek Evangelical Church of Boston.
, which is now owned by Boston College
, which uses the campus for its Law School
as well as to house freshmen. Cotton Street is the approximate boundary between Newton Corner to the north and Newton Centre to the south.
Newton Corner, Massachusetts
Newton Corner is a village of Newton, Massachusetts, United States. Newton Corner borders Brighton, a neighborhood of Boston, as well as the city of Watertown, Massachusetts...
in the city of Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
. On December 23, 1983, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. It has been called the "most important, the most evocative and also the most fragile historic site in the city."
National Register listing
- East Parish Burying Ground
- (added 1983 - Site - #83004010)
- Also known as Centre Street Cemetery
- Centre and Cotton Sts., Newton
- Historic Significance: Person, Architecture/Engineering, Event
- Historic Person: Multiple
- Significant Year: 1850, 1660
- Area of Significance: Art, Exploration/Settlement
- Period of Significance: 1650-1699, 1700–1749, 1750–1799, 1800–1824, 1825–1849, 1850–1874
- Owner: Local Gov't
- Historic Function: Funerary
- Historic Sub-function: Cemetery
- Current Function: Funerary
- Current Sub-function: Cemetery
History
East Parish Cemetery dates from the 1660s when the term parish had both a political and religious connotation. The East Parish Church was First Church in Newton organized in 1664, which celebrated its 300th anniversary in 1964, but was dissolved in 1973 after failed attempts to merge with its two daughter churches, Second Church in NewtonSecond Church in Newton
The Second Church in Newton, United Church of Christ, is located at 60 Highland Street in West Newton, Massachusetts, a village of Newton, Massachusetts...
(West Parish) and Eliot Church. First Church's last church building at 1115 Centre Street in Newton Centre
Newton Centre, Massachusetts
Newton Centre is a borough of Newton, Massachusetts. The main commercial center of Newton Centre is a triangular area surrounding the intersections of Beacon Street, Centre Street and Langley Road. It is the largest downtown area among all the villages of Newton, and serves as a large upscale...
is now the Greek Evangelical Church of Boston.
First Settlers Monument
The First Settlers Monument was erected September 1, 1852, to commemorate the first settlers of East Parish and has inscriptions on its four sides as follows:- The north side inscription recounts that the first acre was given by Deacon John Jackson for the burial place and First Church, while his son Abraham Jackson gave the 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) that form the old part of the cemetery. Edward Jackson gave 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) in 1660 and another 31 acres (125,452.7 m²) in 1681.
- The west side inscription lists 20 early settlers with the year each settled in Newton as well as the year of death. The earliest year of settlement is 1640 and the latest is 1664.
- The south side inscription commemorates Thomas WiswallThomas WiswallThomas Wiswall was an early settler of British America, a prominent early citizen of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and a key figure in the founding of Cambridge Village, now known as the city of Newton, Massachusetts.-Early life:...
, who was ordained ruling elder on July 20, 1664, and his four sons. - The east side inscription commemorates the Reverend John Eliot, Jr., first pastor of First Church in Newton, who was ordained July 20, 1664. It states also that his widow remarried, that his only daughter married, and that his only son went to Windsor, ConnecticutWindsor, ConnecticutWindsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The population was estimated at 28,778 in 2005....
and died leaving a son.
Location
East Parish Burying Ground fronts on Centre Street on the west and on Cotton Street on the south, but the actual corner of those two streets is occupied by city-owned Loring Park, a long, narrow tract of 13200 square feet (1,226.3 m²), whose longest side fronts on Centre Street. East Parish burying ground is bordered on the north and east by lands of the Centre Street congregation of the Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. Across Centre Street is the campus of the former Newton College of the Sacred HeartNewton College of the Sacred Heart
Newton College of the Sacred Heart was a small women's liberal arts college in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. It opened in 1946 and merged with Boston College in June 1974....
, which is now owned by Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
, which uses the campus for its Law School
Boston College Law School
Boston College Law School is one of the six professional graduate schools at Boston College. Located approximately 1.5 miles from the main Boston College campus in Chestnut Hill, Boston College Law School is situated on a wooded campus in Newton, Massachusetts.With approximately 800 students and...
as well as to house freshmen. Cotton Street is the approximate boundary between Newton Corner to the north and Newton Centre to the south.