Cemetery Plot Map: BEECH GROVE

Address

947 Main Road
Westport
Massachusetts


View GEO Map Cemetery Photograph Cemetery View Interred View

Supplementary Information

Does not host War Veterans
Does provide easy access

G.R. 1. - Beech Grove Cemetery,Central Village.Town-owned historic cemetery. The records state: "1855. Voted to purchase the six acre lot adjoining the wood lot of Thomas J. Allen for a Public burying Ground. Voted that Abraham R. Gifford be Superintendent of the Burying Ground." The cemetery is divided into several sections, including a potters field and dedicated veteran lots. The sections are identified with a letter and a number such as A1, B1, etc. Both section and lot numbers, or section and grave numbers are given for the interred in most cases. Sections have various size 'lots' within them: 1 grave, 2-grave, 4-grave, 6-grave and 12-grave. Cremated remains are also recorded when known. In some cases, there are no lots, only grave numbers, e.g., A4 to A7. Sections are organized in various ways which can be confusing when searching the cemetery. Arrows have been provided on the map as a visual guide to show how the lots are laid out. A straight arrow indicates lot numbers (or grave numbers) that run consecutively from one end of the section to the other end. A zigzag symbol indicates lot numbers that run consecutively from one row to the neighboring row and back again. In recent years the new plots are single graves only. If people wish to have a "plot" they simply buy adjoining single graves. All interred in the 'Potters field' can be searched by typing 'potters field' into the 'Lot' box. All interred in the 'Veteran lots' can be searched by typing 'veteran lots' into the 'Section' box. Details on the 'veteran lots' sections (D3 and D4), which are a combination of multi-grave lots and single graves, are given in a separate sub-map. An infants Scattering Field is located on the North side of the Cemetery. Beech Grove was established in 1855. There are only 3 gravestones in Potters Field. This is a section of the Beech Grove cemetery seemingly dedicated to burial of indigent persons. Originally there were medallions placed in the ground for the interred but the information on them has been lost and the medallions have sunk into the ground now unseen. The cemetery records themselves do not identify the interred. Betty Slade reviewed the remaining records of the Poor Farm (Town Farm) and found records for persons who were interred in Potters Field in those periods. It is not known if others were interred before or after that period. These records give the row and place of the interred. The Poor Farm documents can be found on the town of Westport website under "Historical Documents." In 1992 a 12-grave lot was sold at the South end of Potters Field and labeled B-261. Since 2019 the Westport Gravestone Cleaning and Restoration Group has been spraying stones with D/2 Biological Solution donated by Ted Kinnari and cleaning them. Most of the old sections are completed. Slow progress on the restoration of the many leaning and broken stones is being made financed by CPA funds and volunteers, especially Todd Baptista, Troy Rebello, Laura Oliviera and Dawn Young. (June 2023).