Pittsfield Considers Repairing East Part Cemetery
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Historical Commission will consider grant opportunities for repairs to East Part Cemetery.
A resident reached out to the city with concerns about degradation in the half-acre burial ground at the top of Williams Street. East Part Cemetery was established in the early 1800s and has about 300 interments.
“It's a nice old cemetery, and basically, (the resident) had had concerns that the stone wall had taken some damage, the gravestones have taken some damage, and was wondering if there's anything that could be done to repair the gravestones and the wall," City Planner Kevin Rayner told the commission on Monday.
In cooperation with cemetery leadership and residents, the Historical Commission will consider applying for Community Preservation Act funds to support repairs. West Part Cemetery, on the other side of Pittsfield, has previously used CPA funds for revitalization work.
The 1080 Williams St. property is owned by the city and managed by the Pittsfield Cemetery Commission. Rayner presented photos of broken and overgrown gravestones, parts of the stone wall collapsing, and knocked-over obelisks.
Some aspects could use general maintenance and restoration, he observed.
According to the Pittsfield Cemetery and Crematory's website, East Part Cemetery was established around 1808 on land owned by Nathan Webb, who permitted and authorized its use as a public burying ground.
In 1842, Nathan Webb's son, also named Nathan Webb, deeded the property to the Methodist Episcopal Society of Pittsfield as a public burying ground, and in 1893 the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Society transferred their control of the cemetery to the Proprietors of the Pittsfield Cemetery. Their action was confirmed by the Berkshire Probate Court.
The Pittsfield Cemetery is a private corporation. There are no available spaces in the East Part Cemetery.
Commissioners pointed out that Sarah Deming, the first European woman to live in Pontoosuck Plantation, now known as Pittsfield, and her daughter Dorothy Deming are buried there.
Application materials for this cycle of Pittsfield's Community Preservation Act funds will be released in October, and eligibility applications will be due on Nov. 20.
Rayner said he sees the Historical Commission driving an application with a letter of support or petition from the community to show it is not a top-down effort. In a perfect world, the application would also be endorsed by the Cemetery Commission.
“I don't think that this cemetery is in as bad of shape as West Part was," he said.
Pittsfield's CPA committee recently began the fiscal year 2027 cycle.
Applications are considered for eligibility in the first couple of weeks of December. In late February and in March, applicants present to the CPA committee over the course of a few meetings. Funding recommendations are made in April and sent to the City Council.
CPA monies can be spent on open space and outdoor recreation, historic preservation, and community housing.
Tags: cemetery, cemetery commission, east part cemetery, historical commission, Pittsfield,
