What's going on here?

---

The following is an excerpt from the Ridgewood Cemetery Association Community Preservation Act Application, February 5, 2021

The Second Burial Ground was laid out in 1817 and was active until Ridgewood was established in 1851. In 2020, the North Parish Church voted to transfer its interest in the Second Burial Ground to the Ridgewood Cemetery Association for the future care and custody of the historic burial ground. Ridgewood believes it can further enhance the experience for those visiting the Second Burial Ground by bringing its condition to that which is more on par with Ridgewood. Recognizing that the Second Burial Ground is of an earlier period cemetery, and thus not a traditional garden cemetery like Ridgewood, we nevertheless have determined that with additional planning and work, we can make the Second Burial Ground as more inviting with the significant historic individuals who shaped the early history of North Andover. 

Like the First Burial Ground, the Second Burial Ground provided functional, rather than aesthetic places to bury the dead.  In addition to being the final resting place for many of North Andover’s founding families, Cato Freeman is buried here. Freeman was born in 1768 and was a slave to the Phillips family. He adopted the name “Freeman.” He is buried in the southeast corner of the Second Burial Ground with other freed slaves.

We believe the story of Cato Freeman and others like him needs to be more fully told. More information can be found about Cato Freeman in our “Who’s Buried Here?” section.

Our plan for the Second Burial Ground is for a full restoration of the historic gravestones, and related ironwork, fencing, and landscaping. Unlike at Ridgewood, this is not intended as a multiyear project. The Second Burial Ground is only 1.5 acres and Ridgewood has the experience, personnel, subcontractors and experience to get the job done. And we have a track record of doing it. In addition, the Town, through its CPC, previously funded a very comprehensive “Gravestone/ Monument Condition Assessment Report” prepared by Fannin Lehner Preservation Consultants, so the baseline work is largely done.

Our project includes engaging a firm to use ground penetrating radar to locate unidentified remains, lost headstones, and other objects of significance; repairing iron work and curbing in family plots; restoring and adding interpretive signage in the section where Cato Freeman and other free slaves are buried; establishing a welcoming entrance which leads with the history of this cemetery; grading and improvements to pathways to allow for greater accessibility; setting survey bounds; extending historic stone fencing; repairing grave stones; installing benches and seats to make it more welcoming; and adding interpretive signage to tell the story of North Andover’s history during this period of time.

The Second Burial Ground is rich with stories about these men and woman, and hundreds of others. But the setting for these stories, the Second Burial Ground, has fallen into significant disrepair. Their stories, and our history, deserve better – a fully restored, welcoming Second Burial Ground.

We intend to restore the Second Burial Ground in a historically appropriate manner, consistent with the Department of Interior Standards, and with appropriate historical oversight, such that it better reflects North Andover’s history and honors the families that are buried there.

And we intend to do it in 24 months.