Walnut Grove Cemetery Announces Danvers’ First Columbarium Garden

Walnut Grove Cemetery Announces New Improvements

DANVERS,  Mass.   November  5, 2013       Walnut Grove Cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries in Danvers, recently announced the addition of a Columbarium Garden which is the first of its kind in Danvers.  With the rising number of cremations being at 40% nationwide, the cemetery’s board of trustees invested in three columbarium monuments as part of the cemetery’s long-range improvement plan to serve the community.  A columbarium is a term frequently used to describe the permanent resting place for cremated remains. 

As a non-denominational, non-profit cemetery, Walnut Grove Cemetery welcomes all

people.  With the recent addition of the Columbarium Garden, the cemetery now offers the public all available options including traditional burial plots, cremation plots and now niches in the columbariums.   The landscaped Columbarium Garden consists of three stone monuments featuring 96 niches that can accommodate two urns per niche. 

In addition to the Columbarium Garden, Walnut Grove redesigned its logo and  incorporated the words “honor, cherish, reflect.”  Additionally, the cemetery has a new website which went live with an emphasis on more user-friendly navigation and more content focused on cremation, columbariums and the importance of pre-planning.  With the aging of Baby Boomers, it is common to avoid the inevitable and to not pre-plan one's final wishes.  It is the goal of the trustees to assist people in addressing the importance of pre-planning by educating people of their options and assisting them in documenting their wishes.    For the history-minded visitors, the website offers an extensive history section as well as an invaluable tool called the “Grave Locator System” with its 160 years of digitized cemetery records to assist genealogists in finding relatives and friends. 

“Walnut Grove Cemetery is an integral part of the Danvers community and it is the commitment of the trustees to maintain its beauty and offer our residents a full range of services,” said Edward (Bud) Holden, the president of the Trustees.  “These investments preserve the role of the cemetery in honoring our nation's history as this cemetery includes heroes serving our country dating as far back as the War of 1812.  We owe it to our ancestors and our future generations to continuously restore and preserve Danvers’ original rural cemetery." 

Located in the heart of Danvers, Walnut Grove Cemetery is continuously working on preserving the more than 20 acres of its beautiful and historic grounds for the countless generations that have come to depend upon this sanctuary for the past 170 years.  Governed by an all-volunteer board with deeps roots in the community, Walnut Grove is committed to maintaining its heritage and integrity through sound financial management.  In addition to Edward (Bud) Holden, the president of the trustees, the board includes Nicholas Cameles, Glenn Dagley, Daniel J. Mahoney, William P. O’Neil, Donald Tutko, John Storm, Dick Wallace, and Peter Yetman.

Walnut Grove has a caring and experienced staff that can help with any pre-planning arrangements and will also outline the financial pre-planning savings. To schedule an appointment please call 978.774.1024 or email the cemetery at info@walnutgrovedanvers.org or visit our website at www.walnutgrovedanvers.org

About Walnut Grove Cemetery

Back in 1843, Walnut Grove Cemetery, located in Danvers, Massachusetts joined a distinguished group of “rural” cemeteries that includes the famous Mount Auburn Cemetery, the nation’s first such cemetery.  As a cemetery steeped in history, Walnut Grove is home to more than 100 Revolutionary Soldiers including a Revolutionary War hero who fought during the War of 1812 and is also the resting place of the town’s only Civil War Medal of Honor recipient.   As an integral part of the Danvers community, Walnut Grove Cemetery’s volunteer Board of Trustees is committed to the preservation of the more than 20 acres of gentle sloping hillsides, bridges, running brooks, and groves of majestic trees for all to enjoy. In addition to its traditional in-ground burials, Walnut Grove Cemetery has recently built a columbarium memorial with cremation niches for family members to memorialize the urns of loved ones.

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Walnut Grove Cemetery

“Honor. Cherish. Reflect.”

History:

Back in 1843, Walnut Grove Cemetery, located in Danvers, Massachusetts, joined the ranks of the famous Mount Auburn Cemetery, the nation’s first “rural” cemetery.  With its park-like, picturesque setting, Walnut Grove Cemetery was consecrated on June 24, 1844, when more than 2,000 people gathered on a Sunday afternoon in the grove once owned by Judge Samuel Putnam, a Massachusetts Supreme Court Judge and the great-great-grandfather of George Putnam, founder of Putnam Investments.   The land was originally purchased for $1,500.

The Most Rev. John Brazer, an 1813 graduate of Harvard College, noted in his consecration address:

“We stand in that great temple of nature, not made with hands, whose roof is the all-embracing sky, whose floor is the broad earth, whose pillars are these majestic murmur of running waters, and the air made vocal by the surrounding grove…These rural cemeteries, indeed, comprise all the essential advantages that are to be especially cared for. They afford in the first place the best security for these remains which can be found in this world of continual change.  They are arranged in spots which are secluded from the ordinary haunts of men, away from the busy scenes of active life.”

The international movement of rural cemeteries began in Paris in 1804 with the Père-Lachaise Cemetery, one of the world’s most famous and largest cemeteries.  When the rural cemetery movement swept through America in the early 19th century, most people were buried in churchyards, on family property, or even in small vacant urban lots. But as the cities began to grow, many urban graveyards had to move the interred to a more dignified, natural setting away from the distractions of the city.

Through the dedication of a volunteer Board of Trustees, Walnut Grove Cemetery continues to preserve its 22 acres of unique natural landscape while offering the public the highest level of cemetery services that the people of Danvers have grown accustomed to for more than 169 years.

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History of Walnut Grove Cemetery – page 2

Notable Burials:

First Burial

On July 27, 1844, six-month-old Benjamin A. Putnam, the child of Benjamin C. and Elvira W. Putnam, was the first person to be interred at Walnut Grove Cemetery.

War of 1812

General Moses Porter (March 20, 1756 – April 14, 1822)

Served with General Gridley's Artillery during the Revolution. Fought at Bunker Hill and Brandywine. Wounded at Trenton General Moses also served in the War of 1812 in defense of the port of Norfolk.

Revolutionary War Hero

Samuel Page (August 1, 1753 – September 2, 1814)

Among the historic events seen by Captain Page were Bennington, Ticonderoga (1777), Valley Forge, and West Point.

Town’s Only Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient

Daniel Dickerson Stevens (December 19, 1839 – November 7, 1916)

He served as a Quartermaster in the Union Navy.   His citation reads: “On board the USS Canonicus during attacks on Fort Fisher, 13 January, 1865.  As the Canonicus moved into position at 700 yards from shore, the enemy troops soon obtained her range and opened with heavy artillery fire, subjecting her to several hits and near misses until late in the afternoon when the heavy ships coming into line drove them into their bombproofs.  Twice during the battle, in which his ship sustained 36 hits, the flag was shot away and gallantly replaced by Quartermaster Stevens.”

Civil War Heroes

With more than 100 Civil War Soldiers, Walnut Grove Cemetery has the town’s largest majority of Revolutionary War heroes buried at the cemetery.

For additional information, please contact Debbie Papalia, Public Relations, For Marketing Matters, at 978.490.5302 or email at dpapalia@formarketingmatters.com

Walnut Grove Cemetery

“Honor. Cherish. Reflect.”

Board of Trustees

President

Edward "Bud" Holden
Bud has worked for 48 Years in Healthcare administration, first at Hunt Hospital in Danvers and currently at Northeast Health in Beverly, MA. He is also a retired Police Officer with 32 years of service in Topsfield. Other volunteer positions include 14 years as a Governor-appointed Trustee at Hogan Regional Center.  Bud is the father of four children and has resided in Danvers for 62 years.

Vice President

Richard Wallace

Secretary

John Storm
John has been a Danvers resident since 1955. He was in banking for 51 years having spent about 30 of those years with banks in Danvers. He has been on the board of Walnut Grove since 1997. John and his wife currently reside in Danvers.

Treasurer

Peter Yetman
Peter is also a lifelong resident of Danvers and worked for the Danvers Electric Light Department for 20 years before taking a supervisor position at the Peabody Municipal Light Dept., where he was employed for 12 years. During that time, he also served as a Reserve Police Officer and dispatcher in Topsfield, MA. Peter has been on the Board of Trustees for 14 years and believes in the importance of supporting non-profit organizations and the community. Peter and his wife reside in Danvers, as do two of their six grown children and many extended family members.

Trustees

Nicholas Cameles
Nicholas is a lifelong resident of Danvers. He owns and operates his family business, Sunnyside Bowladrome, which has been a fixture in the town since 1950. His position on the Board at Walnut Grove also carries on a family tradition of community service and involvement.

Glenn Dagley
Glenn is a native of Danvers and has lived here for 48 years. As a history buff and a nearby neighbor of Walnut Grove, Glenn enjoys serving on the Board as a way to give back to the community. He also serves as a Trustee at Holy Trinity United Methodist Church where he helps manage the church website as well. Glenn lives with his wife in Danvers.

Daniel Mahoney
A longtime resident of the North Shore, Dan has owned and operated a financial planning practice in Danvers affiliated with Ameriprise Financial for over 15 years. He is licensed to conduct business in Massachusetts and 13 other states. Dan earned his degree in Finance at North Adams State College in 1986. He is very involved in the Danvers Community serving on the Board of Trustees at the Walnut Grove Cemetery as well as at Holy Trinity United Methodist where he serves as the Chairman of that board. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family, reading, running and bike riding and is involved in other activities at his church as well.

William P. O'Neill
William was born and currently lives on the North Shore, having resided in Danvers for 40 years. He graduated from Northeastern University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and has worked primarily in construction with some structural design. William has served the Town of Danvers and volunteered in many capacities including as Assessor, as a member of the Building Committee for the Danvers police station, and as a member of the Building Committee for the Danvers police station, as well as on the Board of Walnut Grove.

Superintendent

Donald Tutko
Don is also a native son of Danvers and still lives in town. He has overseen the care and maintenance of Walnut Grove Cemetery for more than 25 years and is an invaluable source of knowledge about the cemetery and its operations.