Lowell Cemetery, 1020 Lawrence Street

established 1841

National Register of Historic Places (5/20/1998)

The Lowell Cemetery was established in 1841 and is an important, early example of the “rural” cemetery movement of the mid 19^th century.  Like many communities, the founders of the Lowell Cemetery followed the model of Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge.  Established in 1831, Mt. Auburn was the first rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States.  Its development was inspired by the romantic philosophy of the day and by trends in European cemetery design.  Mt. Auburn provided the inspiration for the rural cemetery movement which swept cities across the eastern part of the country.  The Lowell Cemetery was the fourth of its kind in the United States when it was established.  Following Mt. Auburn in 1831 came Laurel Hill (Philadelphia, 1836), Green Wood Cemetery (New York, 1837), and then the Lowell Cemetery in 1841.

Rural or garden cemeteries provided oases of rustic, naturalistic landscaping in rapidly expanding cities.  They combined richly carved and handsomely designed monuments, mausoleums, and other funerary art and architecture with dramatic landscapes of rural vistas, lush vegetation, and varied terrain.

The founders of the Lowell Cemetery envisioned it as much a park as a cemetery.  The establishment of the cemetery pre-dates the first public parks in Lowell, the North and South Commons in 1845.  It was not uncommon for residents to take walks and carriage rides through the cemetery and it became a popular recreational area for those seeking to escape the city and experience nature.

The cemetery is the final resting place for countless members of the community including mayors, governors, and members of Congress.  It includes many outstanding examples of markers and monuments by local architects as well as sculptors and carvers of local and national acclaim.