{"nrhp_refnum":"03000384","name":"Brookfield Cemetery","other_names":[],"category":"site","location":{"address":"Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brookfield","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.21904244250007,"lon":-72.11189151101422,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2003-05-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Community Planning and Development","Landscape Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Brookfield Cemetery is the town's main burial ground on Main Street (Route 9) in Brookfield, Worcester County, Massachusetts. It has been in continuous use since 1714 and covers a 43-acre parcel, of which roughly one third is developed.","why_significant":"The cemetery is significant for its distinctive 18th and 19th century gravestones and for its link to the development and history of the town. It shows three stages of burial-ground design, from a colonial burying ground to a picturesque garden cemetery to a modern lawn-style section. It is considered significant at the local level under Criteria A and C, with Criteria Consideration D for cemeteries.","narrative":"Brookfield Cemetery is the town's principal burial ground, set on a gentle slope above the Quaboag River half a mile west of the common. Burials began in 1714, and about 10,000 grave markers now record the community. The grounds show three stages of growth: a colonial section of slate and sandstone slabs carved with vines, death's heads and soul effigies; a mid-19th century section laid out as a picturesque garden cemetery after 1861, with marble tablets, urns and obelisks; and a flatter 20th century section with granite and flush markers. A rusticated granite arch given to the town in 1873 by William A. Banister and Otis Hayden marks the main entrance, and a cast metal Civil War monument was dedicated in 1890. A granite town vault from 1861 also survives. The cemetery was listed for its artistic gravestones and its close association with the town's development, and it remains in active use and town care.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Maintained by the Town and by families who own plots; condition generally good, with weathering of older stones and loss of many iron plot fences and rails. All three sections are still in active use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.76765-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/96/7974/63797496/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/03000384.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000384/c4f72598ad-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000384/c4f72598ad-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brookfield_Cemetery,_June_2012,_Brookfield_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brookfield_Cemetery,_June_2012,_Brookfield_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797496","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookfield_Cemetery","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4974563"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/brookfield-cemetery-03000384/"}