{"nrhp_refnum":"04001221","name":"West Parish Burying Ground","other_names":["River Street Burying Ground"],"category":"site","location":{"address":"River and Cherry Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.35289119200007,"lon":-71.22841772899994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-11-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Social History","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1.6-acre municipal burying ground at River and Cherry Streets in the West Newton neighborhood of Newton, Massachusetts, with burials from 1777 to 1896. It was the second burying ground established in Newton, on land donated by Nathan Fuller.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is tied to the early expansion of West Newton and the demand for a second meeting house (Criterion A). It also illustrates changing New England ideas of death and commemoration, from single graves to family lots and from soul-effigy slates to willow-and-urn designs (Criterion C). Its age, graves of early settlers, and skilled carving support the cemetery exception.","narrative":"West Parish Burying Ground is a small, 1.6-acre municipal cemetery at River and Cherry Streets in West Newton, Massachusetts. It was the second burial place established in Newton, on land given by Nathan Fuller, and holds 251 recorded burials made between 1777 and 1896. Roughly 170 headstones and small monuments survive, along with 11 mound tombs, 23 granite-cornered family lots and a fieldstone perimeter wall topped by an iron cross-link fence. The markers show changing tastes over a century: slate stones with winged soul effigies, later slates with willow-and-urn carving, and simpler marble stones. Several carvers signed their work, including A. Cary, Jepson of Newton and T. Warren of Lowell. The burying ground records the early families of the neighborhood, especially the Fullers, and a detailed 1901 map documents its layout. It was listed for its link to West Newton's early growth and for its funerary art. The site may also hold unmarked graves and archaeological evidence.","period_of_significance":"1777-1896","architect_builder":"A. Cary (Boston); Daniel Hastings; Jepson (Newton Corner); T. Warren (Lowell)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Generally well maintained but with deterioration and loss of gravestones; about 170 of roughly 200 headstones shown on the 1901 plan remain. No longer an active cemetery; the gate is kept locked except for maintenance or special requests.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.363193-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/77/7914/63791477/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/04001221.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001221/5a58832e7e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001221/5a58832e7e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NewtonMA_WestParishBuryingGround.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:NewtonMA_WestParishBuryingGround.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791477","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Parish_Burying_Ground","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7986151"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/west-parish-burying-ground-04001221/"}