Bellvue Cemetery
Why it's listed
Bellevue Cemetery is a 96-acre garden cemetery in northwest Lawrence, Massachusetts, with a small strip reaching into Methuen. Its Old Yard dates to 1847, and the larger New Bellevue section was added from 1893. Curving roads and paths wind over hilly, partly terraced ground. Notable features include the 1873 Second Empire Hearse House, which serves as the office, granite hillside crypts, a 1918 cremation tomb, Civil War veterans' plots, and a bronze statue by Anna Coleman Ladd. The cemetery holds the graves of Lawrence's founder Daniel Saunders, many mayors, congressmen and industrialists, and relatives of poet Robert Frost. Monuments also honor Pacific Mills workers and victims of the 1860 Pemberton Mill collapse. Changes in marker material, size and design, and in the families buried here, trace the city's growth from a Protestant mill town to a more diverse, immigrant community. Land beside the cemetery could also hold archaeological evidence of Native American settlement.
Significance in brief: The cemetery's markers, landscape and monuments reflect the changing social, cultural and religious makeup of Lawrence, from early Protestant families to later Catholic immigrant families. It holds the graves of the city's founder, mayors, congressmen and industrialists, plus memorials to mill workers lost in the 1860 Pemberton Mill disaster. It also has potential archaeological significance for Native American and historic-period information.
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 03000993, listed October 3, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 170 May St., Lawrence |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | October 3, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000993 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Architect / builder | Hearse House designed by Moses and Willard B. Perkins, built 1873 by James Flanagan |
| Architectural style | Garden cemetery; Second Empire (Hearse House) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Landscape Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still an active cemetery. The Hearse House (cemetery office) was restored in 2000. Some older trees, roads and marble markers are in poor condition. |
| Acreage | 96.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.71085, -71.18550 (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 03000993.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4883920
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.