Bowker Cemetery

This obscure and heavily overgrown cemetery is located on Bowker Street directly across from Meadowcroft Camp. The area is bounded by stone walls and is approximately 50 feet by 200 feet. There is only one badly damaged, visible headstone. The most prominent feature is the Bowker monument dedicated to Elijah Bowker and his ten children. It is unknown whether the children are buried here. There is also evidence of a mounded tomb, although the entrance is no longer visible. No other headstones have been visible in over 100 years.

Church Hill Cemetery

Established in 1728, Church Hill Cemetery is located off Common Avenue, in the area formed by River Street, Church Street, Common Avenue, and Tiffany Road. Located on a hill, it is a rather large burial ground measuring 1,000 feet by 500 feet. The oldest section of the cemetery is located near River Street. Originally, this area was a private burial ground of the Palmer family but later included the graves of many shipbuilders including the Stetsons, Torreys, and Winslows. Buried here in 1838 is Captain Thomas Stetson who is Norwell’s only veteran of the War of 1812.

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Damon Cemeteries

There are two small burial grounds of the Damon family off Grove Street. One of them is located at the corner of Prospect Street, and the other is near the Water Department. These graveyards were close to the Damon homesteads and are the burial grounds of Browns, Damons, and Northeys.

First Parish Cemetery

First Parish Cemetery is one of the largest and most well-known cemeteries in Norwell. It was  established in 1725 when the Town of Scituate set aside some land on Herring Brook Hill for the Second Parish to set up a training field and burial ground. Located in Norwell Center between Main Street and River Street, it is maintained by a caretaker. It wasn’t until 1908 that it was incorporated under the name of First Parish Cemetery of Norwell.

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Jacobs Collamore Cemetery

This is a burial lot located on Jacobs Trail between Wendall Avenue and Doris Avenue. It is approximately 30 feet wide by 100 feet in depth. Between 1780 and 1913, members of the Jacobs and Collamore families were buried there. Until recently, there were no visible headstones (just a commemorative stone marking the site). In 2012, three Jacobs gravestones that were previously at the cemetery but had been removed because of vandalism in the mid-1900s were placed again at the site.

Pinehurst Cemetery

This cemetery is currently in use, and is located off Common Avenue across from Church Hill. It is approximately 500 feet by 500 feet, and is situated on different levels. It was established in 1870 after a feud between several families and the Church Hill Association. Consequently, they set up their own cemetery across the street. In addition to the graves, there are five tombs containing the remains of the Barstow, Copeland and Stetson families.

Private Burial Grounds & Tombs

In earlier times it was customary to bury one's kindred on the family estate, and a number of private burial grounds and tombs still exist in town. On Pleasant Street, a cemetery is located on the Ephraim Otis estate. This graveyard had a unique feature in that slaves belonging to the family were buried in unmarked graves around the perimeter. Another family tomb is the Joseph Cushing tomb on Old Oaken Bucket Road.

Second Church Cemetery

  

Relatively quiet and set back from the busy roadway, this picturesque cemetery is located on Main Street, one thousand feet east of Bridge Street. Poison ivy, tall grass, and verdant shrubbery engulf the headstones. Some of the stones are unreadable, and others have been vandalized. This cemetery contains some of the oldest stones in the town dating back to 1689. Many well-known Norwell families are buried here including the Tildens, Hatchs, Turners, Fords and Fosters.

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Second Church Graveyard at Wilson Hill

This cemetery on Main Street at the corner of Old Meetinghouse Lane was established in 1644. The meeting house of the Second Parish Church was located nearby from 1645 to 1680. In the early 1800s, the graveyard was heavily vandalized--removing all traces of the stones that might have been there. Years later two stones were found. One belonged to Thomas King who died in 1691. The other was that of Cornelius Briggs, who died in 1694. The Torrey, Hatch and Robinson families were among the notable families buried there. No sign of this graveyard remains today except for a boulder on the edge of Main Street commemorating the site of the Second Church in 1642.

Stockbridge Cemetery

Stockbridge Cemetery is a picturesque, well-maintained burial ground concealed by shrubbery on a quiet street. It is located on the north side of Mount Blue Street across from where School Street intersects. The cemetery is the family burial ground of the Stockbridges (west side) and the Stoddards (east side). Other noted Norwell families  include the Litchfields, Turners and Williamsons --all of whom were descendents of the Stockbridges. The earliest stone dates back to 1758. An intriguing memorial is dedicated to Meshach Litchfield and his son, Ben, who were lost at sea on August 16, 1846. A portion of this cemetery is elevated and bounded by stonewalls. This mounded area covers two underground tombs and is the final resting place for six Revolutionary War soldiers who were members of the Stockbridge family.