Chester Village Cemetery

United States historic place

Chester Village Cemetery

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

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Location| NH 102 and NH 121, Chester, New Hampshire
Coordinates| 42°57′27″N 71°15′22″W﻿ / ﻿42.95750°N 71.25611°W﻿ / 42.95750; -71.25611
Area| 2.5 acres (1.0 ha)
NRHP reference No.| 79000203[1]
Added to NRHP| November 29, 1979

Chester Village Cemetery is a historic cemetery at the junction of New Hampshire Routes 102 and 121 in the center of Chester, New Hampshire. Established in 1751, it is one of the state's older cemeteries, and is particularly unusual for the large number of grave markers that were signed by their carvers. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

## Description and history

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The Chester Village Cemetery is located in the town center of Chester, at the eastern corner of Routes 102 and 121. The property is about 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) in size, and roughly rectangular in shape. The long side, along Route 121, is also its oldest portion; known as the "Revolutionary Quarter", it is about 1 acre (0.40 ha) in size, and has many graves dating to the period of the American Revolutionary War. Monuments in this older section are predominantly of either slate or sandstone, although there are some that are marble.[2]

The cemetery was established in 1751, and became the town's main burying ground. Prior to that time, many families had buried their dead either in small family plots or in church yards; after this cemetery was established, many moved their dead here. The cemetery has one of the largest number of signed gravestones in the region. Two prominent local stone carvers were Stephen and Abel Webster, both of whose works appear here (Abel Webster is also buried here). This has enabled researchers to differentiate their styles from each other, making possible the identification of their work in other regional cemeteries.[2]

Prominent burials include two Governors of New Hampshire, Samuel and John Bell, and William Richardson, Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court.[3]

## See also

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* National Register of Historic Places listings in Rockingham County, New Hampshire
* New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 139: Chester Village Cemetery

## References

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1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. ^ a b "NRHP nomination for Chester Village Cemetery". National Park Service. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
3. ^ "New Hampshire Historical Markers". NH Division of Historical Resources. Archived from the original on December 8, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2009.

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National Register of Historic Places in Rockingham County, New Hampshire

Landmarks|

* Gov. John Langdon Mansion
* John Paul Jones House
* Josiah Bartlett House
* Ladd-Gilman House
* MacPheadris–Warner House
* Matthew Thornton House
* Moffatt-Ladd House
* Richard Jackson House
* Robert Frost Farm
* USS Albacore
* Wentworth–Coolidge Mansion
* Wentworth-Gardner House

Districts|

* Atlantic Heights Development
* Deerfield Center Historic District
* East Derry Historic District
* Exeter Waterfront Commercial Historic District
* Front Street Historic District
* Highland Road Historic District
* Isles of Shoals‡
* Jewell Town District
* Little Boar's Head Historic District
* Newington Center Historic District
* Newmarket Industrial and Commercial Historic District
* Old Deerfield Center Historic District
* Portsmouth Downtown Historic District
* Portsmouth Parade Historic District
* Richman Margeson Estate
* Salem Common Historic District
* Scammon Farm Historic District
* Smith's Corner Historic District
* Strawbery Banke Historic District
* Town Center Historic District
* Wentworth-Gardner and Tobias Lear Houses
* Woodman Road Historic District

Buildings|

| Education|

* Atkinson Academy School
* Centennial Hall
* Dame School
* Kensington Social Library
* Nichols Memorial Library
* North Hampton Library
* North School
* Portsmouth Public Library
* Portsmouth Athenæum
* Sanborn Seminary
* Searles School and Chapel
* Smyth Public Library
* Square Schoolhouse
* Stone School
* Watson Academy
* Wiggin Memorial Library

|

Religious|

* Chester Congregational Church
* Danville Meetinghouse
* First Church
* First Universalist Church
* Freewill Baptist Church-Peoples Baptist Church-New Hope Church
* Fremont Meeting House
* Hampstead Meetinghouse
* New Castle Congregational Church
* Northwood Congregational Church
* Sanborn Seminary
* Sandown Old Meetinghouse
* Searles School and Chapel
* South Parish
* St. Andrew's-by-the-Sea
* St. John's Church
* Union Meetinghouse-Universalist Church
* Unitarian Church

Residential|

* Bartlett-Cushman House
* Benedict House
* Benjamin Franklin Prescott House
* Benjamin James House
* Capt. Jonathan Currier House
* Cornet Thomas Wiggin House
* Daniel Pinkham House
* Deacon Samuel and Jabez Lane Homestead
* Drake Farm
* Dudley House
* Edward Sewall Garrison
* Elijah Locke House
* Elm Farm
* Emery Farm
* Gen. Mason J. Young House
* General Porter House
* George Rogers House
* Gilman Garrison House
* Gov. John Wentworth House
* Gov. Meshech Weare House
* Greeley House
* Hart-Rice House
* Haven-White House
* Henry Sherburne House
* James Neal House
* Jeremiah Hart House
* John Crockett House
* John Elkins Farmstead
* John Hart House
* Joshua Wentworth House †
* Larkin-Rice House
* Maj. John Gilman House
* Moses-Kent House
* Nutter-Rymes House
* Parsons Homestead
* Phoebe Hart House
* Reuben Lamprey Homestead
* Rundlet-May House
* Samuel Beck House
* Samuel Tenney House
* Scamman Farm
* Shapley Town House
* Simeon P. Smith House
* Weeks House
* Whidden-Ward House

Transportation|

* Newington Railroad Depot
* Raymond Boston and Maine Railroad Depot
* Sandown Depot, Boston and Maine Railroad

Other
buildings|

* Adams Memorial Building
* Armstrong Memorial Building
* The Beach Club
* Danville Town House
* Franklin Block
* Kensington Town House
* New Hampshire Bank Building
* North Hampton Town Hall
* Plaistow Carhouse
* Portsmouth Cottage Hospital
* Portsmouth Harbor Light
* Pulpit Rock Base-End Station (N. 142)
* Rockingham Hotel
* Rye Town Hall
* South Meetinghouse
* Stevens Memorial Hall
* Town House

Sites|

* Fort Constitution
* Old North Cemetery
* Plains Cemetery

Structures|

* Chester Village Cemetery

Footnotes|

‡ This entry also has portions in an adjacent state.
† This entry has been removed from the registry.

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Rockingham County, New Hampshire and List of National Historic Landmarks in New Hampshire
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