Campbell Falls Bridge Project

May 12, 2023. New Marlborough Historical Society Continues Restoration of Historic New Marlborough Village Cemetery

The New Marlborough Historical Society has spear headed efforts to help restore some of New Marlborough’s historic cemeteries over the last decade, with particular focus on our oldest cemetery in New Marlborough Village. This cemetery was gifted to the town in the 1770s by the New Marlborough Congregational Church’s first Reverend, Thomas Strong. With the earliest stone dated at 1755, this cemetery has numerous Revolutionary War and Civil War veterans as well as the graves of the earliest settlers, and remarkably is still in use. Previous efforts by the Society have focused on stone repair and cleaning.

During the Great Depression, white pine trees were allowed to grow in this cemetery. These now large trees have reached the end of their lifespan and are often dropping large branches during storms which damage historic grave stones. In partnership with our Cemetery Commission and funded by private donations to the New Marlborough Historical Society, John Field Tree Company has been removing these trees over the last several years. This month several very large white pine trees were removed using cranes and tree climbers to carefully avoid any damage to the stones underneath.