Press Release

National Register of Historic Places

Press Release - July 2006

The West Brookfield Historical Commission is pleased to announce the Old Indian Cemetery on Cottage Street in West Brookfield has been accepted by the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the National Park Service, Department of the Interior for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Old Indian Cemetery is a short distance from the West Brookfield Center Historic District. The almost 300 year old cemetery retains its original size, setting and character and is surrounded by an 18^th century stone wall. Three granite bollards mark the entry way. A stately sign, cast in the image of the 1779 Abigail Foster gravestone, describes Col. Jedediah Foster, Esq. (1726-1779). In the southwest corner a monument marks the grave of 6 men, known as the Haymakers, ambushed by Indians while gathering hay in 1710. Another bronze DAR plaque commemorates the Revolutionary War soldiers buried here.

The cemetery includes 186 gravestones. Many were carved by well known carvers of the time. Motifs include winged skulls, winged faces, urn and willow designs. Gravestones carry the names of early families who laid the foundation of what West Brookfield is today. The prominent judges, state senators, religious leaders, physicians, as well as farmers, workers, wives and children buried in Old Indian Cemetery weave the tapestry of West Brookfield's early history. The significant role West Brookfield played in both the French and Indian and Revolutionary Wars comes to life with the gravestones of the many officers and enlisted men who fought in each conflict.

Near the center of the cemetery is a plot marked by granite posts and an iron pipe fence. This marks the final resting place of the Honorable Jedediah Foster and his family. Foster, a Harvard graduate, settled in West Brookfield (then Brookfield) in 1733 on what is now called Foster Hill. It was in this Foster Homestead that he was said to have accomplished one of his greatest achievements. From the contents, phraseology and style it is deduced he wrote the first draft of the Massachusetts State Constitution in 1779, a document which was utilized both for its intent and wording in the composition of the United States Constitution in 1787.

One of the interesting persons buried in the cemetery is Diederick Leertower, the Dutch Consul, who around 1790 imported asparagus from his homeland of Holland. Legend has it that it was the first asparagus planted in the West Brookfield area.

This small one acre burial ground has always been highly treasured by the Town. What is not so well known is the Old Indian Cemetery is a veritable outdoor art museum with its many examples of gravestone carving artistry.

This project was researched by Fannin-Lehner Preservation Consultants, with the help of the West Brookfield Historical Commission, and funded by a donation from the J. Irving England and Jane L. England Charitable Trust.

Source: Information from the National Register of Historic Places registration forms.