Tewksbury State Hospital
Contact:
Curtis Florey (978) 532-1100
Metal
markers are hard to find in the pine forest that has grown up
around the cemetery at Tewksbury State Hospital
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There are
three cemeteries on the grounds of Tewksbury Hospital with at least
10,000 graves in them. Tewksbury Hospital opened in 1854 and its
cemetery directory dates back to 1891 and contains 9,342 names.
Patients who died between 1854 and 1891 are not recorded, so the
total number of graves is not known. The grave markers, three-inch
high metal circles with crosses in the middle, are rusted and easy
to miss because of the overgrowth of weeds. Although on occasion
community groups have done some clearing of overgrowth in the cemeteries,
the hospital has no money in its budget for regular maintainence.
Curt Florey, formerly the president of the board of trustees at
the hospital would like the cemeteries cleaned up and preserved.
But this is not a goal one person can accomplish -- there needs
to be a restoration committee. If you are interested in helping
form a committee, please contact Curt.
Marker
#21: There are over 10,000 of people buried in these cemeteries.
Tewksbury was once a pauper lunatic asylum as well as an
almshouse. The records of those buried in the first 37 years
of the institution are lost.
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