Join Curator Martha Oaks, Archivist Stephanie Buck and Director of Education Courtney Richardson for a deeper look at the historic landmark that is Oak Grove Cemetery. The tour is $10 for Museum members; $15 for nonmembers. Registration is required. For more information please contact Liza Browning at 978-283-0455 ext 16 or email lizabrowning@capeannmuseum.org.

In 1854 six businessmen purchased an oak grove near downtown Gloucester to serve as a new cemetery. These men wanted to create a space different from the gloomy burial grounds of the past. They wanted a sacred place where the deceased could rest in peace, but that was beautifully landscaped for the living to enjoy as well. Oak Grove Cemetery was part of a national movement to make burial grounds more appealing to the living. Designed by landscape architects Robert Copeland and Horace Cleveland, this type of city cemetery was the predecessor of the city park. Listed on the national register of historic places, it was the first modern cemetery in Gloucester and is now the final resting place of many historic figures.