{"nrhp_refnum":"84002444","name":"Walnut Grove Cemetery","other_names":[],"category":"site","location":{"address":"Grove and Railroads Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Methuen","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.72302044750006,"lon":-71.19016236610338,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-01-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Landscape Architecture","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Walnut Grove Cemetery is a 15-acre public burial ground at Grove and Railroad Streets in Methuen, Massachusetts, laid out in 1853 and owned by the Town of Methuen. It includes a brick chapel built in 1927.","why_significant":"The nomination presents the cemetery as an example of mid-19th century romantic planning, with winding paths and shade trees. It is also tied to Methuen's rapid mid-19th century development and to the Tenny family, who donated land and built the chapel. It is said to meet criteria A, B and C.","narrative":"Walnut Grove Cemetery covers 15 acres along Grove Street, just west of Methuen's present town center. An association of individuals laid it out in 1853, using the winding pathways and shade trees favored by romantic designers of the period. More than 1,500 stones survive, with death dates from 1853 to 1978. They are made of slate, marble and granite and take forms such as columns, obelisks and tables. Many are grouped in family plots edged with stone coping or cast iron fences, and several tombs draw on classical and medieval models. In the early twentieth century the Tenny family donated land to expand the older northern section. In 1927 they built a red brick chapel as a memorial to Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Tenny. The cemetery is valued as an example of mid-19th century romantic planning, for its link to Methuen's rapid growth in that era, and for its connection to the Tenny family. It remains in generally good condition.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Mid-19th century romantic cemetery design","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Generally good condition, with few broken or overturned stones.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.076303-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/8/7902/63790208/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002444.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002444/4eae294f05-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002444/4eae294f05-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"EraserGirl","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walnut_Grove_Cemetery1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">EraserGirl</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walnut_Grove_Cemetery1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790208","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walnut_Grove_Cemetery","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14715971"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/walnut-grove-cemetery-84002444/"}