Old Cemetery was the first burial ground in the town of Spencer, it is said that it is probable that all who had died previous to 1740 were brought to Leicester for burial. In 1740 Nathaniel Cunningham gave 2 acres of land to the inhabitants of Spencer for a meetinghouse. Half was used for a cemetery.

The first person buried in the cemetery was Elizabeth Adams in 1742, Edmund Bemis who is memorialized at Bemis Park, was said to have dug the grave. In 1759 John Stebbings and others were given permission to erect tombs on the burial grounds. Before this there was no laying of lots, and family members were responsible for opening the graves. This combined with many graves lacking stones, often resulted in a haphazard mixing of the remains.

A stone wall with two gates was built around the cemetery in 1790. Additions were made to the cemetery in 1791 [1/2 acre], 1817 [1.5 acres] and 1857 [1/2acre]. In 1793 it was voted to purchase a carriage to carry corpse to the grave, the following year a carriage house {hearse house} was built.

During the Revolution War, power was stored in the church, but fear of fire or explosion, a magazine was built in the cemetery. The location has since been lost. By 1860 improvements were made and the cemetery was divided into lots and ranges. A further land addition was made in 1872 when a trust fund was established by private individuals. The last addition occurred in 1914 with 4,000 square feet. In 1913 William E. Rice of Worcester offended to build a memorial gate at the cemetery. Rice was the grandson of James Draper [1778-1868]. The Draper memorial gate is at the North Street main entrance. 46 Revolutionary War soldiers 37 Civil War and at least one from each the Spanish American War and World War 1 resting-places are found in the Old Cemetery.

After the hurricane of 1938 Aramana Jalbert removed 16 stumps in May of 1939. In the process of removing one particularly large stump, the roots were found to be molded to the size and shape of a coffin. There was noting left of the coffin and only a streak of red ashes and some rages suggested that a person had once been buried there.

In 1949 money from a bequest was used to repair headstones, fill in sunken graves and repair section of the cemetery wall. It is time again to renew concern for the care and preservation of the grave markers. Come and join the Friends of the Spencer old Cemetery.

Some who are buried in the Old Cemetery:

Caleb Prouty he served in Capt. Joel Green and Capt. David Prouty’s Co. {this is not the David Prouty who built the high school}

Capt. Ebenezer Mason- Captain of the Co. of minute-man, of Col. Jonathan Warner’s regt. Which marched on the alarm on April 19, 1775

Lt. Oliver Watson – of Capt. Ebenezer Mason Co.

Joel Howe- son of Elijah, he was a soldier in the war and had a pension.

Joel Wright Green- Tinman, Son of Samuel B. Green Private in Co. C, 1^st Mass. Cavalry

Amasa B. Bullard – Private Co. K, 10^th Mass. Vols.

The first pastor of the First Congregational Church, who was born 1715

The 2^nd pastor Rev. Joshua Eaton and his wife Anna who died at the age of 104

Author of the History of Spencer , Hon. James Draper

GRAVE MARKERS

The collection of about 600 grave markers begins in 1740 and continues through the 1980’s. They are primarily slate and marble with the older slate stones on the south side, which contains more individual markers. The north side contains more family plots and granite markers. Publications cite four significant grave markers:

William Sinclear Stone

[ 1676-1773]

Ann Cunningham

[ 1775]

Dau. Of William Sinclear

Joseph Bigelow

[1774]

Artamus Lamb

[1791]

The latter two have been attributed to the Sikes family of cavers who worked in western Massachusetts. To one writer the Lamb stone suggests that the Sikes family "were among the last carvers in New England to retain the purity of the older style when elsewhere in New England the neoclassical style was in ascendancy."