Walktober 2023
October 13 @ 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
The Canterbury Historical Society will be hosting a talk and tour of the historic Cleaveland Cemetery on Friday, October 13th at 11:00 am as part of The Last Green Valley annual Walktober event.
Led by David Malloy, moderator of the very popular Facebook Group – Early New England Gravestones and the Men Who Made Them – we’ll explore the formerly named Old Canterbury Burying Ground which was established circa 1720 as the first public cemetery in Canterbury. In addition to several notable burials, the cemetery is home to gravestones that were carved by at least 14 of the more well-known Colonial gravestone carvers in the area including John Hartshorne, Obadiah Wheeler, Josiah and Rockwell Manning, Richard Kimball, Gershom Bartlett and more.
While viewing the beautiful gravestones, you’ll see the burial sites of the founder of Canterbury, Major James Fitch and his wife, a Mayflower descendant, Alice “Abee” Bradford Fitch; the first pastor called to Canterbury, Reverend Samuel Estabrook and his wife Rebecca; a leader of the Separatist movement in the colony of Connecticut, Reverend Solomon Paine; and the founder of the city of Cleveland, Ohio, General Moses Cleaveland and his wife Esther Champion Cleaveland.
Located at 52 North Canterbury Road, parking for the event will be available across the street at the former Canterbury Cones parking lot thanks to the generous permission of the lot’s new owner, Trent Pappas, Jr. Please note that parking will be at your own risk and the owner is not responsible for any damages or injuries while using the lot. We will have Town Constables on site to help with crossing Route 169 from the lot to the cemetery which has a slight incline from the entrance on the street to the gate of the cemetery itself.
This walk is scheduled for approximately two hours, is considered ‘easy’ and we ask that no dogs or other pets be in attendance due to the historic nature of the property.
RAIN DATE: October 14th
For any additional information, please contact us at canterburyhistorical@gmail.com or through the Contact form on this website. You’ll also be able to find us in The Last Green Valley Walktober brochure when it makes its debut later this year!
