Spring Brook Cemetery
Why it's listed
Spring Brook Cemetery occupies a flat, gently rolling site close to the center of Mansfield, Massachusetts, on the north side of Spring Street. Its earliest documented land purchase was a four-acre tract bought by cemetery trustees in 1860, and later purchases extended it north to Coral Street and west to School Street. The grounds hold family lots, a granite receiving vault built in 1889, a stone wall, and gateposts. The focal point is the Card Memorial Chapel of 1898, a red brick building on a Quincy granite foundation, designed by Charles H. Eastman. Simon Card and Mary J. Card, tap and die manufacturers, built it as a memorial to their daughter Lulu. The markers include marble obelisks, brownstone monuments, cast zinc monuments and granite stones by regional makers. More than 500 veterans are buried here, including an Unknown Soldier monument placed in 1913. The oldest recorded burial dates to 1790.
Significance in brief: The surviving text shows a cemetery that grew over time through land purchases, with a chapel given by a local industrialist family and a wide range of grave markers. The markers span marble, brownstone, cast zinc and granite, and they reflect changing funerary taste. The criteria and the full significance statement are not readable in the excerpt.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 07001240, listed December 6, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Spring St, Mansfield |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | December 6, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07001240 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Architect / builder | Card Memorial Chapel: architect Charles H. Eastman; contractor J.J. Coon and Company of Boston; carpenter J.S. Kelly of Cambridgeport |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Areas of significance | Art, Community Planning and Development, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a cemetery; the section 7 text describes it as having modern paved roads and a chain-link fence, and as still receiving burials. |
| Acreage | 22 |
| Coordinates | 42.02025, -71.22237 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 07001240.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7580406
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.