{"nrhp_refnum":"04001220","name":"Northfield Center Cemetery","other_names":[],"category":"site","location":{"address":"W terminus of Parker Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Northfield","county":"Franklin County","state":"MA","lat":42.69492888800005,"lon":-72.46056010199999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-11-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Art","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Northfield Center Cemetery is a 7.64-acre town-owned burying ground at the west end of Parker Avenue in Northfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts, in use since 1686. It holds about 1,700 gravestones and monuments and two holding vaults.","why_significant":"It was Northfield's first burying ground and is the oldest of six extant cemeteries in the town, tied to the town's settlement and development. It contains fine examples of pre-industrial gravestone carving, notably a collection by Northfield native Ebenezer Janes. It was found eligible under Criteria A and C at the local level and meets Criteria Consideration D for cemeteries.","narrative":"Northfield Center Cemetery occupies a high bluff above the Connecticut River floodplain, a short distance from the center of town. Burials began in 1686, making it the town's first burying ground and the oldest of six cemeteries still existing in Northfield. About 1,700 stones and monuments fill its four sections, including the Moody Cemetery laid out in 1896, and two holding vaults, one dated 1838. The grounds hold many carved markers from the 1700s and early 1800s in sandstone, schist, slate and marble. Ebenezer Janes, a Northfield native, carved a notable group of them, including portrait stones. Other carvers represented include Nathaniel Phelps, Solomon Ashley, Samuel Chapin and Alpheus Longley. Large marble monuments from the 19th century mark family plots. Local legend says the site was chosen after the bones of Sgt. Samuel Wright, killed in 1675, were found there. The cemetery is listed for its link to the town's development and for its artistic gravestone carving.","period_of_significance":"1686 to 1954","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Active cemetery, well maintained by the town, with only one or two burials a year and no lots available for sale. Gravestones are generally in good condition, though many are sunken or leaning and some marble markers are illegible.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.880081-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/37/7951/63795137/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/04001220.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001220/b43f846186-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001220/b43f846186-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NorthfieldMA_CenterCemetery_01.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NorthfieldMA_CenterCemetery_01.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795137","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northfield_Center_Cemetery","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7059365"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/franklin-county/northfield-center-cemetery-04001220/"}