Wildwood Cemetery (Amherst, Massachusetts)

Wildwood Cemetery is an active non-profit cemetery in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States, designed and laid out in the late 19th century.

Wildwood Cemetery
Map
Details
Established1887; 137 years ago (1887)
Location
20 Strong Street, Amherst, Massachusetts, US
Coordinates42°23′18″N 72°30′54″W / 42.38833°N 72.51500°W / 42.38833; -72.51500
TypePrivate, Non-profit
Size81 acres (33 ha)

History

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Wildwood Cemetery is a non-denominational, not-for-profit, 81 acre cemetery located near the center of the college town of Amherst, Massachusetts.

 
The sign at the main entrance of Wildwood Cemetery in Amherst, Massachusetts

Wildwood is a serene setting atop a hill, just off Pleasant Street which abuts both Amherst College and University of Massachusetts at Amherst.[1]

Established in 1887 with the help of poet Emily Dickinson’s brother Austin,[2] the landscape design was inspired by Fredrick Law Olmsted.

It is an active cemetery with new lots available for purchase. Though there were initial plans for a chapel on site, this did not happen, so services are held graveside.

Bird watchers and naturalists are drawn to the cemetery for the flora and fauna.

 
Golden hour light on benches and graves in Amherst’s Wildwood Cemetery

Preserving the appearance and feel of the late nineteenth century guides cemetery decisions.

Notable interments

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References

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  1. ^ "UMass Campus Map" (PDF). U Mass Amherst. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  2. ^ "Cemeteries". Amherst Massachusetts Government. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  3. ^ "Herbert Baxter Adams, American historian and educator". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  4. ^ "Hampshire County, Mass". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
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