Center Street Cemetery Wallingford

The Center Street Cemetery is a historic burial ground situated in the centre of Wallingford, Connecticut. Established around 1670, it is recognised as the town’s oldest cemetery and serves as the resting place for many of Wallingford’s early settlers, civic figures, and industrial leaders. Owing to its long history, architectural elements, and cultural significance, the cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Location and Physical Description

Occupying most of a town block bounded by South Colony Road, Center Street, South Orchard Street, and Prince Street, the cemetery covers a largely level expanse characteristic of New England community burial grounds established in the seventeenth century. The principal entrance is positioned near the western end of the Center Street frontage and is marked by a distinctive Egyptian Revival gateway. A secondary entrance lies along Orchard Street, providing additional pedestrian access.
The internal landscape is defined by a series of formal allées lined with mature sycamore trees, forming clear axial routes through the site. The circulation pattern consists of gravel and grass pathways, while the graves are set in open plots without the fenced family enclosures seen in some later cemeteries. This creates an uninterrupted visual field that reflects evolving burial customs and the democratic layout typical of early colonial graveyards.

Layout and Funerary Art

The arrangement of graves illustrates the cemetery’s long chronological development. Burials in the western third, dating from the earliest periods of settlement, appear without systematic planning, demonstrating organic placement common to seventeenth-century cemeteries. In contrast, the eastern two-thirds exhibit a more structured grid pattern introduced in later centuries as municipal planning practices became more formalised.
The funerary markers represent over 300 years of styles, materials, and iconographic traditions. Early stones include slate markers carved with motifs such as death’s heads, cherubs, and other symbols typical of colonial funerary art. Later markers in brownstone, marble, and granite reflect nineteenth- and twentieth-century tastes, including neoclassical and Victorian forms. Collectively, the cemetery provides a valuable illustrated record of American funerary design evolution.

Historical Significance and Notable Memorials

The Center Street Cemetery contains memorials and burials associated with a number of figures prominent in local and national history. Among these is a memorial to Lyman Hall, a Connecticut native who later settled in Georgia and became one of the signers of the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776. Though his remains are not interred here, the memorial reflects Wallingford’s connection to early American political leadership.
Also commemorated is Moses Yale Beach, an influential nineteenth-century newspaper publisher and founder of the Associated Press. His presence highlights Wallingford’s contribution to the nation’s journalistic development.
One of the cemetery’s most historically evocative locations is near the tomb at its north end, situated close to the grave of Joseph Benham. Benham’s daughter and granddaughter were the last individuals in New England to face trial for witchcraft, an event marking the waning of witchcraft prosecutions in the region. This association lends the cemetery additional importance in the study of early colonial legal and social history.
Beyond these figures, the cemetery contains graves of Wallingford’s first settlers and numerous veterans. Markers indicate participation in the American Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the American Civil War, as well as subsequent conflicts into the modern era. These stones collectively document the town’s longstanding military service and civic participation.

Cultural and Community Importance

The Center Street Cemetery remains a key historical asset within Wallingford, valued for its role in preserving the memory of the town’s earliest inhabitants and its evolving community identity. As an active heritage site, it offers insight into shifting burial practices, artistic traditions, and the sociopolitical history of Connecticut. Its continued maintenance reflects local commitment to safeguarding cultural landscapes that define the region’s historical continuity.