Riverside Cemetery, Waterbury CT

Riverside Cemetery is truly a microcosm of the history of Waterbury, Connecticut. On its stones are carved the names of men and women who made this city an industrial powerhouse and the "Brass Center of the World." The first section of this lovely spot, above the Naugatuck River, was purchased in 1850. It was considered an ideal location for a new cemetery to replace the Old burying Ground on Grand and Meadow Streets. Dedicated in 1853, Riverside Cemetery soon became a park-like sanctuary with beautiful trees, lakes, and magnificent monuments, many created by famous sculptors.

The first interment in the new cemetery was on July 14, 1853 (Harriet Upson, the first wife of the late Thomas C. Upson. The gothic-revival, stone Hall Memorial Chapel, designed by the noted Waterbury architect, Robert W. Hill, was completed in 1885. It was built at the bequest of Samuel William Hall, in memory of his wife Nancy Austin Hall. The historical significance of this cemetery, its statuaries, and chapel, have resulted in its placement, in 1988, on the National Register of Historic Places.


From: Book of THE RIVERSIDE CEMETERY, Press of the Waterbury Printing Company, 1889


Riverside Cemetery is situated in the city of Waterbury onthe right hand bank of the Naugatuck river, about half a mile south-west of Centre square. It lies on the lower part of the eastern slope of the highland known as Town Plot hill, and, as its name indicates, stretches alongside of the river (separated from it only by the highway called Riverside street) for a distance of sixteen hundred feet. It is bounded on the south by Summit street, on the north by Sunnyside avenue, and on the west by Dreher street. Its form approaches that of a parallelogram, and its area measures nearly forty acres. It is a portion of the second and third river benches of the Naugatuck valley, and is peculiarly well fitted for the use to which it has been set apart. The soil consists of sand, gravel and gravelly loam.

The surface is greatly diversified, rising into four or five rounded hills of considerable height. The river is here two hundred and forty-four feet above "mean low water" at Bridgeport, and the several hills of the cemetery rise above the river level as follows: Mound hill, eighty-four feet, Forest hill, one hundred and one feet, and Summit hill one hundred and five feet. From these heights extensive and beautiful views may be obtained of the city and surrounding country.

A small but perennial stream, fed by springs near the western boundary, and flowing in an easterly direction, divides the territory embraced within the cemetery limits into two nearly equal sections. The stream broadens out at different points into picturesque lakelets. The upper one, which is forty-three feet above the river level, is known as Willow pond; the lower as Fountain pond. The land when first set apart for a cemetery was well wooded with native trees. The greater part of these remain until the present time, and afford shelter to a large variety of most attractive birds.^

The entire cemetery is enclosed by a fence. The fence on the north-east side, next to Riverside street is of iron, and is sixteen hundred feet in length. The main entrance, protected by gates hung upon massive granite posts, is on Riverside street, about nine hundred feet from the south-east corner on Summit street. Opposite the entrance, between the street and the river, is a cottage belonging to the association, which serves as a residence for the custodian of the cemetery. Just within the gates, on the right side of the entrance, stands the Hall Memorial chapel—a handsome granite edifice, with roof of red slate and a granite spire sixty-seven feet in height.^^ In the rear of the chapel, and opening directly into it, is a conservatory containing a considerable variety of plants and flowers. Near by, at the foot of Fountain pond, stands a large rectangular granite block, bearing upon the face the inscription, "RIVERSIDE CEMETERY, DEDICATED SEPTEMBER 24, 1853."

From the open space within the gates two main avenues diverge, ascending the slope, one in a westerly and the other in a southerly direction. These, and the lesser avenues and paths, have been laid out in accordance with the dictates of good judgment and good taste. Justice has been done to the various features of the landscape, while at the same time the convenience and comfort of visitors have not been disregarded.

Of the many monuments in the cemetery, a considerable number are worthy of note as words of art. Some of these are sufficiently represented in the illustrations of this volume, while some that are not pictured here are of equal importance with those that are.^^^

^A list of the indigenous trees and plants growing in the cemetery was begun for this book; but was found that the varieties, all told, would number probably more than five hundred, and the attempt was abandoned.

^^The top of the spire is 87.27 feet, and the water-table 20.27, above the river level.

^^^The Benedict monument is the most costly, and in many respects the most noteworthy, hitherto erected in the cemetery. It consists of a massive bronze figure of Wisdom seated on a pedestal of granite. It is the work of Truman H. Bartlett, who was for some years a resident of Waterbury. The figure was modeled at Rome in 1871, and was cast in bronze at Munich in 1872. A full description of the monument was published in the Waterbury American at the time of its erection, December 5, 1872.
The Philo Brown monument—a mausoleum crowning Summit hill—is also worthy of notice. It is of white marble, and bears the date 1874.