Shelburne — Burial-Places
Extracted from "History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, Volume II," by Louis H. Everts, 1879.
The first burying-ground was laid out at the Falls, in 1768, and the second, north of the centre. These two grounds are now unused. The oldest cemetery in use is the one near Shelburne Centre. The first person buried there was the wife of Reuben Nims, in April, 1774. There are several burial-places in the town, but the most extensive is the Arms Cemetery, at the Falls, which was opened for public use in 1857. During his lifetime Ira Arms donated a piece of land on the Buckland side of Shelburne Falls for a Shelburne cemetery, and this land was, with his approval, exchanged for the ground now occupied by the Arms Cemetery. At his death Mr. Arms left a fund of $1000, the income of which is devoted to repairs and the improvement of the grounds.
This beautiful city of the dead is an object of pride to Shelburne's citizens, and deserves, too, such a tribute, since it is at once a spot of great natural beauty and artistic adornment. Embowered within a pine grove and set upon a commanding bluff, it overlooks the gracefully-winding Deerfield River, and incloses neatly-kept lawns, smooth drives, and many imposing monuments.
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08 Jul 2005
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