CEMETERY DEPARTMENT

The Cemetery Department is responsible for providing human services, such as burying the dead; making foundations for cemetery memorials and markers; keeping accurate records of all burials and their exact burial site; maintaining the cemetery grounds, etc.

The Cemetery Board is comprised of five members, appointed by the Mayor and approved by the City Council, for a three year term. It has monthly meetings to oversee spending of monies collected from Perpetual Care and sale of lots. They also vote on and establish rules and regulations pertaining to city cemeteries.

Also, the Cemetery Department is responsible for the proper care and management of the perpetual care trust funds under its jurisdiction, as well as the special revenue funds. We have a perpetual care portfolio (stocks, bonds, treasury notes, GNMA’s, CMO’s) totaling nearly 1.8 million dollars, of which only the income is used to pay for care on lots held in perpetual care with the City of New Bedford.

We also provide planting of flowers (geraniums and/or border plants) for Memorial Day, for those individuals who have established a perpetual care flower fund account. The plants are grown in our greenhouses at the Pine Grove Cemetery.

Reminder from Cemetery Board on Decorations

Cemetery Planting Rules and Regulations – English

Cemetery Planting Rules and Regulations – Spanish

Cemetery Planting Rules and Regulations – Portuguese 

 

 

Cemeteries

There are four operating cemeteries under the jurisdiction of the City of New Bedford, they are:

  1. Rural Cemetery — 149 Dartmouth Street
  2. Oak Grove Cemetery — 185 Parker Street
  3. Pine Grove Cemetery — 1100 Ashley Blvd
  4. Peckham West Cemetery — Mt. Pleasant Street*

There are also several cemeteries/and or burial grounds under our jurisdiction that are closed, however, they are still maintained by our department personnel. They are:

  1. Griffin Street Cemetery
  2. Point Road Cemetery
  3. Tobey Family Burying Ground (Sassaquin)
  4. Reynolds Family (Braley Road) Cemetery
  5. Congregational Church Cemetery
  6. Friends Cemetery

Please note that records of all burials under our jurisdiction are maintained in our Main Cemetery Office at 1105 Shawmut Ave.