Forgotten stories linger here amid the aged stones of Grove Hill Cemetery. Grove Hill Cemetery, also known as Old Burying Ground, whispers tales from as early as 1703. Imagine yourself transported back to a time when Waltham was a nascent community. Grove Hill Cemetery was its only burial ground.
Grove Hill Cemetery sits on nine acres. It holds approximately 3,500 headstones. The earliest marked grave dates back to November 1703. These belong to Samuel Harrington and Susanna Hastings. Harrington was 33. Hastings was only 21.
In Grove Hill Cemetery’s northwest corner, you’ll find the oldest stones. This section includes an unmarked area. It is the final resting place for many Black residents. A Waltham Sentinel article from 1856 noted the lack of headstones and records. Few traces remain of their lives.
Near the center of Grove Hill Cemetery was Potter’s Field. It was at the northern base of the hill. Strangers and indigent citizens found their final rest here. These were people without family or means.
Originally called Old Burying Ground, this place was renamed Grove Hill in the late 19th century. Before 1857, Grove Hill Cemetery served as Waltham’s sole cemetery. Then Mount Feake Cemetery opened.
Grove Hill Cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The main entrance has posts with an Egyptian Revival theme. Obelisks dot the landscape.
Among those interred here is Nathaniel P. Banks. He was a Civil War Major General and later a politician. George P. Bemis rests here too. He served as mayor of Omaha, Nebraska.
Charles Gidding, a US Navy sailor and Medal of Honor recipient, also lies in Grove Hill Cemetery. Lorenza Haynes, a minister, suffragist, and writer, is here. Ida Annah Ryan rests in Grove Hill Cemetery as well. She was the first woman to receive a Master of Science from MIT. She was the first woman to earn a master’s degree in architecture in the United States.
As you wander through Grove Hill Cemetery, consider the lives and stories etched into the stones. These markers span over 300 years. Each stone represents a life lived. Each tells a story of Waltham’s past. Grove Hill Cemetery is a place of remembrance. It connects us to those who came before.