Old North Cemetery
The Old North Cemetery contains 584 markers, as of 2005.
The Old North Cemetery was originally the private burial ground of the Gardner family. The oldest tombstone now standing is that of Margaret Hussey, which bears the date of December 14, 1746. However, a newspaper article (Weekly Mirror, November 29, 1851) states that Abigail Gardner was the first interred there in 1709, but her stone could not be found at that time.
In March 1908, Henry Wyer placed a notice in the Inquirer & Mirror that a fence around the site was completed, one of wooden posts and “the best grade of galvanized wire.”
At a special town meeting on August 14, 1923, the Town took over the Old North Cemetery under the statute that permits towns to take possession of abandoned or neglected burying grounds, and appointed the NHA the caretaker of the site. However, the specifics of those duties were not specified. In 1929, a call was made for funds to help the NHA clear paths. In 1936, the NHA, using Town funds, cleared brambles and planted privet at the boundaries.
In an undated article in the Inquirer & Mirror, it’s noted that the WPA (which existed between 1936 and 1943) graded the cemetery and took out weeds and bushes. They noted at that time that “slabs of slate and wood have been located buried two feet under ground, with the names and dates worn off.” It is likely that fieldstones, used to mark children’s graves, were removed at that time.