{"nrhp_refnum":"83000698","name":"Oak Grove Cemetery","other_names":[],"category":"site","location":{"address":"765 Prospect St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fall River","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.705605083500046,"lon":-71.13533408039325,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-02-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Landscape Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Oak Grove Cemetery is a city-owned rural garden cemetery at 765 Prospect Street, Fall River, Massachusetts, established in 1855 on 47 acres and now covering over 99 acres. It was laid out by local architect Josiah Brown.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is Fall River's most significant cemetery because of the prominence of those buried there, the scenic 19th-century landscape, and the quality of its Victorian funerary monuments. It follows the picturesque rural cemetery model first developed at Mt. Auburn in Cambridge. Its monuments reflect the wealth and pride of the city's mill owners and elite.","narrative":"Oak Grove Cemetery, at 765 Prospect Street in Fall River, was established in 1855 as a rural garden cemetery modeled on Mt. Auburn in Cambridge. The city bought the original 47 acres from Dr. Nathan Durfee, and the grounds now exceed 99 acres. Local architect Josiah Brown laid out meandering roads that follow the natural hills and valleys, with avenues named for trees and paths for shrubs. A Gothic Revival granite entrance gate of 1873 and a Greek Revival receiving tomb of 1857 mark the site. Its late 19th-century monuments reflect the wealth of the mill owners and civic leaders buried there, including the Borden family, whose memorials include a 25-foot statue of Hope and a tall obelisk. Other notable markers include a miniature mill for textile manufacturer Foster H. Stafford, an Egyptian Revival Slade monument, and Classical-style mausoleums. About 46,500 burials have taken place, and plots are still sold.","period_of_significance":"1855-present","architect_builder":"Josiah Brown (designer and layout); architect of the 1873 gateway unknown","architectural_style":"Rural garden cemetery; Gothic Revival entrance gate, Greek Revival receiving tomb, Victorian funerary monuments","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still in use; about 46,500 burials have taken place and plots are still being sold.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.296627-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/71/7897/63789771/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83000698.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000698/57219cee29-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000698/57219cee29-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oak_Grove_Cem_FR.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oak_Grove_Cem_FR.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789771","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Grove_Cemetery_(Fall_River,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7073499"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/oak-grove-cemetery-83000698/"}