ICYMI: Resident Leads Charge to Clean Up Tewksbury Hospital Cemetery

TEWKSBURY, MA — Thousands are buried in the old Tewksbury State Hospital Cemetery, and much like the lives they lived, their grave markers largely go unnoticed by those traveling down East Street.

"It's totally been forgotten about," Tewksbury resident Tom Marshall told Patch."The forest has taken it over."

While walking his dog in the cemetery area recently, Marshall came across the cemetery and the identically numbered grave markers dating back to 1854. According to an investigative piece by the Tewksbury Town Crier in 2010, most of those buried were former patients of the hospital, and all were paupers.

Marshall knew he had to raise awareness of the forgotten buried there. Marshall then began a Facebook group entitled Save the Old Tewksbury Hospital Cemetery, and organized a clean-up of the space scheduled for Nov. 5.

"I just figured I would do something about it," said Marshall following his research on the site."I know that I know a lot of good people, so I started the Facebook group and got some volunteers. I just want to do as much as we can do on that day to clean up the site."

In order to raise awareness of the site, Marshall began sharing stories of some of the thousands buried there. Many patients of the Tewksbury Almshouse, which began accepting the "pauper insane" had been the subject of horrific acts in the late 19th century.

The Almshouse even has ties to Anne Sullivan, the caretaker of Helen Keller who was a patient there for four years before transferring to the Perkins School for the Blind. According to the American Foundation for the Blind, Sullivan's brother Jimmie died at the Almshouse, but it is unclear exactly where he was buried.

Marshall added that he was able to help a local resident find out that her brother was buried at the hospital, and that his group would try and help her figure out which grave marker belonged to her brother.

"It's just something I wanted to do and people kind of latched on to it," said Marshall."It's all volunteers, it's a grassroots effort. We're not looking for any recognition."

To help support the efforts, Marshall has recruited volunteers, pooled together tools and started a GoFundMe page to fundraise for the efforts. Marshal has gotten permission from the hospital, which owns the land where the bodies have been buried.

Marshall knows that his group faces a herculean task of fully-restoring the property, but hopes that the efforts will raise awareness of the site and spur state officials to get involved.

"If I brought 200 people there it wouldn't make a huge dent in one day," Marshall added."I just wanted to bring some awareness."

Volunteers of all kinds are welcomed, including children. A GoFundMe has been set up to collect funds for supplies including fuel, gloves, chainsaw chains and more. Marshall is also working to supply lunch at the clean up. You can learn more about his efforts by visiting the group's Facebook page. Click here to donate to the GoFundMe Page.

Image via GoFundMe