The Oldest Graves in Bridge Street Cemetery Walking Tour
with Elizabeth Sacktor, Museum Educator, Historic Northampton
Event Details
156 Bridge Street
Northampton MA
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- Registration is required
- Attendance is limited to 15
- Sliding scale admission: $10 – $25
Join museum educator Elizabeth Sacktor on a visit to the cemetery’s oldest graves, dating back to the 17th and early 18th centuries, to learn about the lives they commemorate. From the elaborate markers of community leaders, such as Solomon Stoddard (died 1729), to the shared graves of children, Joel and Mary Lyman (died 1778), gravestones reveal social status, the strict hierarchy of early Northampton life, and Puritan New England’s changing worldviews. Together we’ll explore how the burial ground reflects shifting community values, new styles of gravestone carving, and changing beliefs of death and loss.
The tour involves walking and standing for about an hour on uneven ground, so comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
Stoddard Family Tablestones
- Left: Tablestone in memory of Colonel John Stoddard (1681/82-1748), buried in Boston.
- Center: Tablestone in memory of Esther Warham Mather Stoddard (circa 1644-1736).
- Right: Tablestone of Reverend Solomon Stoddard (1643-1729).