Welcoming the visitors into the cemetery are, l-r, Paul Byrne, Jr., Adam Byrne, Carly Bannish and Beth Lusleg. (Photo by Don Wielgus)
WESTFIELD – If it’s ghostly apparitions, fascinating stories, and historic graves you wanted to see in a family friendly setting, you had to look no further than Westfield’s Old Burying Ground on Mechanic Street.
Over the weekend, the Westfield Historic Commission sponsored the first annual Historic Westfield Ghost Tour. Hour-long tours were offered from 5:30-9:30 p.m. and included stories told from 12 different “ghosts” of Westfield’s past. Guided tours were led by lantern light, augmented with special lighting effects created by Jay Pagluica.
“Our goal was to raise the public’s awareness of this historical treasure we have right here in Westfield,” said Westfield Historic Commission member and event chair, Cindy Gaylord. “as well as raise the needed funds to restore and preserve the gravestones located in the cemetery.”
The Old Burying Ground is one of the oldest cemeteries in its original location in the United States and is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. It contains the founding families of Westfield dating back to 1683 and includes people like General William Shepard and Rev. Edward Taylor, as well as everyday people who persevered through deadly epidemics, Indian attacks, cold harsh winters, and the isolation of being the western most settlement in the Massachusetts Bay Colony for almost 50 years.
At one time there were over 1,600 gravestones but due to the ravages of time, weather, and vandalism, less than 1,100 remain.
“It is imperative that we do all that is necessary to save this historic site”, Gaylord said. ‘Our hope is that this event will become an annual fundraiser for the cemetery.”
“This was truly a community event,”she said. “We had help from The Westfield Athenaeum, Westfield On Weekends, St. Mary’s Church, Westfield G.&E., Westfield Park & Rec Dept., as well as countless volunteers and, of course, our wonderful actors!”
Over 400 people attended this weekend and it will be offered again next year.
Gaylord concluded,“We were delighted to find so many history buffs in Westfield, and have already begun researching more characters from Westfield’s rich history to add next year.”
