Mount Feake Cemetery
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Mount Feake Cemetery | |
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Mount Feake Cemetery along the Charles River | |
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| Location | 203 Prospect St., Waltham, Massachusetts |
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| Coordinates | 42°21′52″N 71°14′58″W / 42.36444°N 71.24944°WCoordinates: 42°21′52″N 71°14′58″W / 42.36444°N 71.24944°W |
| Area | 85 acres (34 ha) |
| Built | 1857 |
| Architect | Robert Morris Copeland |
| Architectural style | Italianate, Romanesque |
| MPS | Waltham MRA |
| NRHP Reference # | [1] |
| Added to NRHP | September 28, 1989 |
Mount Feake Cemetery is a historic cemetery at 203 Prospect Street in Waltham, Massachusetts. Established in 1857, it is the city's second cemetery, after Grove Hill Cemetery, and is one of the best-preserved garden cemeteries in the state. It takes its name from Waltham's highest point, Mount Feake, which was named by Governor John Winthrop in 1632 for his future son-in-law, Robert Feake.[2] The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.[1]
Mount Feake Cemetery was designed by Robert Morris Copeland, and was from its inception compared to the older Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. It stands on a somewhat rugged parcel of land that rises above the Charles River across from the Waltham Watch Company complex. A series of winding lanes, designed to complement the terrain, provide access to all parts of the cemetery. Most of the grave markers are made of granite, although marble and limestone are also well-represented.[2]
Sadly, the brick pumping station built in 1872, along with all of the other associated buildings, formerly mentioned in this article no longer exists. Though the outlying buildings disappeared long ago, the remains of the pumping station itself lasted until roughly the turn of the last century, when despite its architectural distinction, to say nothing of its own historic status, all traces of it were quietly removed from the Cemetery's grounds. Replete with the remains of a massive 19th century steam engine, its strange, ruinous condition only seemed to enhance the indelible impression it never failed to make--up until than, at any rate--on all who happened upon it.
See also
References
- 1 2 Staff (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- 1 2 "NRHP nomination for Mount Feake Cemetery". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
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