Cemetery Showcase: Concord Reformatory Cemetery
Join us for a presentation of the Concord Reformatory Cemetery Project: Naming the Unnamed, featuring art panels, spoken biographies, digital presentations, and panelist storytelling to honor the 218 men buried there.
Date: Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Time: 6:00-7:45 pm
Location: Concord Free Public Library, Goodwin Forum in Main Library, 129 Main Street, Concord, MA 01742
This program is funded in part by Mass Humanities and Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area
About the Concord Reformatory Cemetery:
The Concord Reformatory Cemetery is the final resting place of 218 men, each buried in a grave marked only by a plot number.
The cemetery, marked by a large cement cross mounted on a cement pedestal and visible from Route 2, stands as a silent reminder of these forgotten men. By naming them, we recognize them as individuals, not numbers. In doing so, we transform their markers into monuments and honor those who died while in custody.
Through dedicated research and archiving, we are uncovering and preserving the stories of these individuals. These stories will be told through short biographies that provide details about their lives and incarceration. With the invaluable help of Lisa Kennedy and her students at the Massachusetts College of Art, we’ve also created memorial illustrations for each individual interred at the cemeterygenerations to come. This work has also been made possible with support from the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library and the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Advisory Committee.
These memorials will be featured on an interpretive panel at the entrance of the cemetery and accessible via a QR code, linking to biographies and artwork. Additionally, the Special Collections at the Concord Free Public Library will preserve these biographies and illustrations, ensuring their stories are remembered for generations to come. This work has also been made possible with support from the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library and the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Advisory Committee.
Your support makes this meaningful project possible, and we are deeply grateful for your commitment to remembering these men and their lives.
