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A brief history—— As was customary at the time, the early settlers of the 1600s buried their dead around the meeting house, which in this case was privately-owned farmland. In the next 200 years the property changed hands many times, yet burials continued among the grazing farm animals. It wasn't until Adam Thaxter bought the property in 1838 that the Cemetery was incorporated under his direction, in order to perpetuate "those feelings of respect and gratitude...towards those distinguished ancestors whose remains are interred within its limits." As more property was added, the Hingham Cemetery modeled its new grounds after a trend-setting Mt. Auburn Cemetery of Cambridge MA (founded 7 years earlier) and was thus at the forefront of the American Cemetery Movement (forerunner to the American Park System). The concept of the Garden Cemetery, which was to sweep the country throughout the next 75 years, turned rural burial grounds into park-like places for passive recreation, with walks, roadways, often ponds, and particularly arboretums (as seen in the Hingham Cemetery), as the Victorian appetite for horticulture from around the world grew strong. Our emphasis today is not only the renewal of the old historical areas, replacing the dying 150-year-old "exotic" trees, but also the incorporation of our Water Street area with older historical sections as well as the recently completed Memorial Garden and planning for a columbarium. Hingham Cemetery is a non-profit, private (not town-owned), non-sectarian cemetery run by a volunteer board of directors with an extensive inventory of lots available in all sections. Hingham Cemetery is fortunate to have a great deal of space available for sale. Many lots are available in the oldest sections as well as the newest location on Water Street. Purchasers must be either current or prior Hingham residents or have familial connections in Hingham to purchase lots. A Professional landscaping crew helps maintain the grounds to insure that the lawns and gardens remain attractive to family and friends. Many residents and friends enjoy leisurely walking and viewing the grounds and memorial stones with some of them dating as far back as circa 1672 when the first interment occurred. |
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Cemetery History |
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To contact us: |
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Hingham Cemetery Corporation 40 Water Street PO Box 105 Hingham, MA 02043-0105 Phone: 781-749-1048 |
