New Hampshire Old Graveyard Association

July 10, 2010

 

The New Hampshire Old Graveyard Association was organized on April 10, 1976. It was incorporated as a voluntary association with the New Hampshire Secretery of State on April 12, 1977. The Association’s mission is “to discover, restore, maintain, map and record inscriptions in the old burial places before they become completely lost.”

 

The Summer 2010 meeting of the New Hampshire Old Graveyard Association (www.nhoga.org) was held July 10, 2010 at the Charlestown Old Town Hall, Charlestown.

 

The NHOGA officers present were:

 

 

The second vice president, deputy-recording secretary, corresponding secretary and Treasurer/Membership officers were not present.

 

Joyce Higgins introduced the members of the Charlestown Historic Society. About 25 members and guests were present.

 

The NHOGA meeting was called to order by Ingrid Smith at 10:00AM

 

Reports/Correspondence

 

Richard Maloon read the minutes of the previous meeting and they were accepted.

 

Business

 

A business meeting consisted of several members explaining the purpose of our association, as incorporated in the charter. A brief description of HB 1303, an ACT relative to maintenance, repair and preservation of burial grounds was discussed. This act is supported by NHOGA and would clarify RSA 289:14 allowing responsible citizens, other than direct descendents, to upkeep (private) family gravesites. This RSA will become effective January 1,2011. Clark Bagnall updated the membership on the web redesign. The headstone repair by Richard Maloon is complete and arrangements finalized for its delivery to Richard Alperin. Peter Wells reported that the state archives of its vital records may be searched based on maiden names.

 

We learned that the fall meeting would not be held in Weare. The next Newsletter will contain the fall meeting details.

 

The meeting floor was turned over to Joyce Higgins who detailed the history of the five municipal cemeteries in Charlestown. The five cemeteries in Charlestown are: Forest Hill, Hubbard Hill, Hope Hill, St. Catherine’s and Pine Crest. The presentation is paraphrased herein.

 

Forest Hill Cemetery:

 

Charlestown used the “Massachusetts” method and in 1751, the Forest Hill cemetery was established. Previous to this time, the dead had usually been buried on "Burying Hill", a rise of ground, considerably higher in those days, which lay about in front of the present South Parish Unitarian Church, It appears that some burials took place in Fort No. 4 itself, so that bodies of settlers, would not be disinterred and scalped. Members of the Charlestown Historical Society have been unable to locate any information pertaining to private cemeteries, except for the information recorded on page 45 of Frizzell'sHistory, which relates a story of the Heywood family having buried eleven of their children under an apple tree at 261 Hemlock Road. In the early twentieth century, property owners on Main Street, near the early Burying Hill, reported occasionally digging up bones that appeared to be human. Of note within Forest Hill is the Johnson Monument that lists all the settlers captured during the French and Indian war (Seven years war in Europe). During the 1800s, extensive upgrades were made including a fountain and fencing.

 

A plan of Forest Hill Cemetery was drawn in 1900. The cemetery entrances were widened by three feet in 1915, probably due to the advent of the automobile, and the iron gates were replaced with wooden ones. The cemetery is surrounded by a white paling fence, and has an iron turnstile near the one vehicle entrance, an early feature to keep free roaming large animals out of the cemetery. Charles Hoyt, noted Broadway playwright, bought land for his mausoleum in 1900. Pines have been selectively removed several times over the years, but bring many protests. Pines were cut here in 2008. They are beloved by many in town, and people feel strongly about their removal. It has been a fiercely debated topic since at least about 1900. No new plots have been sold since the mid 1970s. Mary Gray, (Town Clerk 1970s) compiled a complete list of people buried based on the standing headstones and Joyce and Charlie Higgins have recorded all veterans recently (about 2005).

 

Hubbard Hill Cemetery:

 

Hubbard Hill was established in 1792 and the last lot sold in 1944. There are 230 graves. In 1959, the harvesting of old growth pines initiated a loud cry of protests from residents, many of whom felt it had been done without public knowledge, and that they had no time to object. The trees were estimated to be more than 200 years old. One of the stumps measured more than 44 inches in diameter. Two very indignant voices were those of Judge Richard H. Perry and his son. Doris Caine of North Charlestown wrote a letter published in the Daily Eagle, "If I were a corpse, I would have no desire to be buried there now. Every day we are another day nearer to it and I say, 'Let those who enjoy the cemetery this way be buried there and soon’.

 

Hope Hill Cemetery

 

Hope Hill Cemetery was established in 1850-1852 near North Charlestown Village due to a change in demographics after the Methodist church was built in 1850. In 1850, a warrant article requested that a town tomb be built in North Charlestown. Horace Metcalf offered some land to the town to create a new cemetery, and took a great interest in its development. Metcalf apparently purchased a fountain at a cost of about $450, which was reimbursed by the town in 1871. Water for a fountain was supplied by gravity feed from springs. In 1882, Metcalf left a bequest to the town of $500 to maintain the fountain and the grounds. Over the years, however, the fountain fell into disrepair, but was renovated in 2008 by a project spearheaded by the Rotary Club. Many burials originally at Hubbard have been moved to Hope Hill. Hope Hill cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic places in 2001.

 

St. Catherine’s Cemetery:

 

A Catholic cemetery was established on the west side of Southwest (sometimes called West) Street in 1882. Before that, Catholics were buried in Claremont or in Bellows Falls; Vt. Charlestown Catholics moved their loved ones from other cemeteries into this new one when it became available. There was resistance to selling land to the Catholic Church, but a cemetery finally came to be with the help of sympathetic Protestants, who purchased land, immediately reselling it to the Catholic Church for a cemetery in 1882. Harmony prevailed, since in 1884, the Town voted $100 for improvements to this site. Recently, ownership of the land by the Catholic Church has been transferred to New York authorities.

 

In 1980,forty posts that had become lost in brush and trees were moved to a line at the end of the grave area. Shortly thereafter, the MsoNormal boundary was marked by fence posts provided by the estate of the late Thomas and Mary Ahem, and a fence installed.

 

St. Catherine's Catholic Church still owns the land, sells the plots, and maintains the stones, but the cemetery is mowed and trimmed by the Town of Charlestown. There are Civil War veterans buried there, along with many Irish immigrants, and others. Some residents of Springfield, Vt., were buried here before the establishment of a Catholic cemetery in Springfield.

 

Pine Crest Cemetery:

 

In 1918, land was purchased on the plain in Snumshire, on Old Claremont Road, for Pine Crest Cemetery. The area was fenced and plots laid out, but were not opened for burials until 1951. This is the cemetery now primarily used by residents of the main village of Charlestown and South Charlestown. Hope Hill is favored by North Charlestown residents, and some other town residents choose it.

 

New business:

 

The meeting ended at 11:30AM and after lunch (punch and assorted pastries) provided by the society, we visited Forest Hill cemetery. Photographs of the Forest Hill cemetery appear elsewhere in the newsletter.

 

Richard Maloon

Recording Secretary

Richard.maloon@att.net