North Bellingham Cemetery and Oak Hill Cemetery
Why it's listed
Two neighboring cemeteries on Hartford Avenue in North Bellingham, Massachusetts, form this district. North Bellingham Cemetery, the town's oldest burying ground, was in use by 1718 and holds burials from 1712 to 1888. Its roughly 130 headstones, mostly slate and marble, show changing carving styles, and two stones are attributed to Joseph Barbur, Jr. Two receiving tombs, dated to 1804 but later rebuilt in granite, were used for winter storage of the dead. Oak Hill Cemetery was founded in 1849 by residents of the northern part of town as a designed alternative, with about 800 markers arranged in rectilinear family lots, many with curbing. It remains active. Its marble and later granite monuments reflect Victorian sentiment, and a few white bronze markers appear. A shared fieldstone perimeter wall, varying in height and construction, runs along the road frontage. Together the cemeteries record the town's founding families and the shift from informal burial grounds to planned family plots.
Significance in brief: North Bellingham is the town's oldest burying ground, with headstones tracing 18th- and 19th-century funerary art, including work attributed to carver Joseph Barbur, Jr. Oak Hill is a planned, privately run cemetery laid out in family lots. Together they show how burial practices changed in the community and connect to the town's 300-year history.
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 12000819, listed September 25, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Hartford Ave., Bellingham |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | September 25, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12000819 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Receiving tomb inscription: built 1804 by Daniel Penniman, John Allen, Stephen Metcalf; headstones attributed to Joseph Barbur, Jr. of West Medway |
| Areas of significance | Art, Community Planning and Development, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | North Bellingham Cemetery is town owned and its last burial was in 1888; Oak Hill Cemetery is privately owned and still an active cemetery. Many older headstones are worn, broken or leaning. |
| Acreage | 3.6 |
| Coordinates | 42.11690, -71.45940 (Wikidata) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 12000819.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16895959
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.