Claypit Cemetery in Lowell, Massachusetts (See the Changes)

 

Claypit Cemetery

810 Varnum Ave, Lowell, MA 01854

I always knew there was a cemetery in this area, but never saw it until October 4, 2020. The parking lot used to be the land for the outdoor Lowell Drive-In. I went there many years from the '60s to many years later, it was a popular theater and we all knew about the cemetery. It is located on the right side of the cream-colored Marshalls store (below). I went back to the cemetery on December 27, 2023, and what a surprise!

The one above and many below photos were taken on October 4, 2020. As you can see, painting for parking has not been done for the new Market Basket or Marshalls. Market Basket which opened on Friday, October 9, 2020.  Below there are two marked parking spaces for the cemetery.

The last time I saw the cemetery was on October 4, 2020, so I decided to walk around it on December 27, 2023. I was quite surprised to see a fence surrounding it.

I was curious, so I walked to the fence and opened the gate.

The first thing I saw were the holes! But where are the cemetery stones? I saw about 12 orange flag markers. I didn't walk around because of the stability of the ground. I never heard or read anything about this in the news, so clearly this was a surprise.

Taken January 19, 2024

Three websites with information about the cemetery. The first is an article from The Lowell Sun newspaper. The last two are from the Findagrave site which provided information about those buried there.

https://www.lowellsun.com/2019/10/08/the-debate-over-clay-pit-cemetery/

https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2222807/memorial-search?page=1#sr-32949082

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24824297/amanda-coburn