Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery
a civic-minded group in Salem, Massachusetts
For the Love of Trees VII: History and Nature in Greenlawn
Date: Saturday, September 26, 2026
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
About the Event
Explore a beautiful 55-acre rural cemetery and accredited arboretum in North Salem.
Greenlawn Cemetery and the accredited F. Carroll Sargent Arboretum are rich in history, nature, and beauty. Join tree lovers and Greenlawn enthusiasts for guided strolls throughout the cemetery, where you’ll learn about notable trees, local history, and the unique landscape that makes Greenlawn such a special place.
Guests will also have the opportunity to visit the historic 1894 High Victorian Gothic Dickson Memorial Chapel, learn about its history, and hear the latest updates on its ongoing restoration.
Event Schedule
- 9:30 a.m. – Music
- 10:00 a.m. – Welcome and introductions
- 10:30 a.m. – Guided tours begin
Host: Friends of Greenlawn
Website: https://friendsofgreenlawn.org
Email: friendsofgreenlawn@gmail.com
Parking & Accessibility
Parking: Free parking is available. If possible, please park outside the cemetery in the surrounding neighborhood and walk into the cemetery.
Meeting Location: Meet at the Dickson Memorial Chapel, located behind the cemetery office just inside the 57 Orne Street entrance.
Special Instructions
Please note that some of the guided tours include walking over hills and uneven terrain. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
Greenlawn Cemetery Map: Mayors Buried at Greenlawn
Map last updated on 05/09/26
This is the free Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery map that we put out by the cemetery office. It has been put up here so others can share, see and use it during this non contact time. It was recently redone to make it easier to donate. If you open your PayPal app and take a picture of the QR code it will bring you directly to the Friends of Greenlawn donation page. We are currently fundraising for Phase II of the restoration of the Dickson Memorial Chapel. We are fully restoring the two right side stained glass windows and wood trim by the front door. We only need $15,000.00 to complete this project!
Click here to download your copy today
Harmony Grove Cemetery to Host Program Honoring Salem’s Mayors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 24, 2026
Harmony Grove Cemetery to Host Program Honoring Salem’s Mayors
Lecture and walking tour highlight Salem’s first mayor and those who followed
Salem, Massachusetts — On Saturday, May 9, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., Harmony Grove Cemetery (30 Grove Street) will host a special public program titled “From City Hall to Sacred Ground: Honoring Salem’s First Mayor Leverett Saltonstall and Those Who Followed.”
This year, Salem commemorates not only its 400th anniversary, but also the 190th anniversary of its incorporation as a city. In acknowledgement of this milestone, Harmony Grove Cemetery celebrates the lives and legacies of Salem’s past mayors who are interred here. Their leadership helped shape Salem’s development as a city.
The program will feature a lecture by Peter Drummey, retired Chief Historian of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Mr. Drummey will speak about the life of Leverett Saltonstall, Salem’s first mayor. An optional self-guided tour showcasing the 21 mayors buried at Harmony Grove Cemetery will follow his lecture.
“Salem’s quadricentennial is an opportunity for us to reflect on both our past and where we aspire to go as a community,” said Mayor Dominick Pangallo. “The Mayors of Salem, who are being remembered through this program, helped to shape the city we inhabit today. By connecting that history to our present, and understanding the full legacy of our city’s past, we can build on the foundation we have in Salem and keep striving to become a better, more vibrant community into the future.”
Event Schedule
10:30 a.m. – Doors open with musical guests Jen and Bob Strom.
11:00 a.m. – Lecture by Peter Drummey at Blake Memorial Chapel, on Leverett Saltonstall.
12:15 p.m. (approx.) – Social gathering, with complimentary refreshments, will follow the lecture.
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Self-guided walking tour
Maps will be provided for the walking tour, with interpretive materials at each gravesite. Special guest hosts will be present at select locations to offer additional insights. The walking tour is open to all visitors, including those who do not attend the lecture. In addition, both the Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery and the Friends of Broad Street Cemetery will offer maps for self-guided tours and information about the Salem mayors buried in those cemeteries.
Event Details
Location: Harmony Grove Cemetery, 30 Grove Street, Salem, MA
Admission: Free and open to all
Lecture RSVP: www.harmonygrovesalem.org/visit/events
Walking tour: No RSVP required; this self-guided tour will be available year-round during cemetery hours. Maps will be available at the cemetery’s office and on its website.
About the Speaker
Peter Drummey recently retired after 47 years of service at the Massachusetts Historical Society, where he served as Chief Historian. Over the course of his career, he has supported thousands of researchers, curated major exhibitions, and contributed extensively to the interpretation of American history.
About Harmony Grove Cemetery
Founded in 1840, Harmony Grove Cemetery is a nonprofit, non-denominational cemetery and crematory rooted in the rural cemetery movement. Spanning nearly 57 acres, it is dedicated to honoring and commemorating the dead, welcoming the living, and preserving its grounds in perpetuity.
Harmony Grove offers burial, cremation, and end-of-life services, and the historic Blake Memorial Chapel is available for funerals, memorials, wedding ceremonies, and community gatherings. Through its growing public programs, the organization shares the rich history of Salem and New England through the stories of those laid to rest there.
About Salem 400+
Salem 400+ commemorates Salem’s quadricentennial while acknowledging the preexisting indigenous community, and explores the opportunities and connections of Salem’s multifaceted history while crafting a vision for current and future generations.
Media Contact:
Jana Silvia
Cemetery Administrator
Harmony Grove Cemetery
harmonygrovesalem@gmail.com
978-744-0554
Preserving the Past: A Milestone for the 1894 Dickson Memorial Chapel
Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery, Inc. has some exciting news to share!
It has been an exciting week for the Dickson Memorial Chapel. For nearly 14 years, Friends of Greenlawn has been advocating for the restoration of the historic 1894 chapel, located within Greenlawn Cemetery and the F. Carroll Sargent Arboretum.
On Thursday evening, the Salem City Council voted unanimously to approve a significant portion of the final funding needed for the exterior restoration of the chapel. These funds, approved through CPA and CIP, bring the project to approximately 99% funded.
The Salem Cemetery Commission and the Salem Board of Trustees will next consider approval of $124,000 for the vestibule restoration, which will complete the exterior work.
Restoration is expected to begin on the east side of the chapel in May, possibly sooner. (See photo below.)
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Mayor Dominick Pangallo, the Salem Planning and Community Development Department, especially Patricia Kelleher and Tom Daniel, the Salem City Council, the Salem Community Preservation Committee, the Massachusetts Historical Commission, the Salem Cemetery Commission, the entire Salem community and beyond, and a very special thank you to the dedicated “Golden Crew” of Friends of Greenlawn.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to make this possible. Your support and dedication continue to make a meaningful difference.
More people make bigger and better things happen.
Working together, we are making a difference.
Thank you for your continued support,
Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery, Inc.
Help Us Track What’s in Bloom 🌸
Help our Research Team Find Tagged Trees and Shrubs in Flower in the F. Carroll Argent Arboretum at Greenlawn Cemetery
We’re inviting our community to help identify tagged trees and shrubs currently in flower throughout the F. Carroll Argent Arboretum at Greenlawn Cemetery.
It’s simple, flexible, and can be done on your own time. Take a walk, enjoy the grounds, and keep an eye out for anything in bloom along the way.
👉 Submit your observations here
The information collected will support ongoing research and help us better understand the arboretum’s plant collections, seasonal bloom patterns, climate influences, and unique microclimates within the landscape.
Special thanks to Dr. Lisa Delissio and Aiden Muise of Salem State University for developing this tool and supporting this initiative.
Thank you for being part of this effort and helping us care for Greenlawn 🌿
Celebrating Preservation Month —Come See The Newly Restored Stained Glass Windows
Please join us for a huge preservation month celebration in the 1894 Dickson Memorial Chapel
When: Saturday, May 18th, 2024 — 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Where: Dickson Memorial Chapel, Greenlawn Cemetery
We will be celebrating and showing off the restored stained glass windows, 130 year of the dedication of the chapel to the city of Salem and 4 years of Salem having an accredited arboretum, the F. Carroll Sargent Arboretum at Greenlawn Cemetery.
Did you know Salem has the first publicly owned accredited arboretum/cemetery in the state? Did you know there is a crabapple tree collection in Greenlawn? Did you know over 130 different birds have been seen in Greenlawn? Did you know there are over 1000 bulbs planted in the conservatory garden? Did you know your CPA money helped restore the stained glass windows along with a state grant and funds from the Friends?
Please come see and support this local gem and treasure in Salem. Everyone working together is making a difference. More people make bigger and better things happen.
Thank you for your support,
The Friends of Greenlawn.
We are a group of volunteers who are working to restore, beautify and maintain Greenlawn Cemetery now and in the future through grants, funding and public awareness.
Find a Grave
For a Greenlawn cemetery gravesite by name of deceased
The City of Salem has contracted with an online records management service for a central database for burial information for Greenlawn Cemetery.
Search burial record + by first and last name
Enter the following in the entry areas:
State: Massachusetts
Location: Salem
Cemetery: Greenlawn
EXAMPLE ENTRY
Last Name: Stroyer
First Name: Jacob
Click On: Search
FIND DETAILS + LOCATION
The search results will show details of the grave location and burial date plus a map of the cemetery with the lot locations. can be seen in the Greenlawn Cemetery office, which is generally open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM-Noon. The office is located about halfway down Orne Street inside the cemetery’s side gates. Small cemetery maps (without lot numbers) are available outside the office at the information board.
You may be able to find additional information using the search parameters of another online source: www.FindAGrave.com In the Rev. Stroyer’s case, at FindAGrave, you will also see the date of his death: 2/07/1908 and a brief biography of his remarkable life as a slave freed through the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the Civil War and his connections with Salem. The information in this source is provided by volunteers.
Greenlawn Cemetery Office | Orne Street, Salem. MA | Open Monday – Friday 8:00 AM-Noon.
TLC and Beauty at Greenlawn
There is some tlc and beauty going on in Greenlawn today! The conservatory doors and eye windows on the 1894 Dickson Memorial Chapel will soon be the original color, essex green.
Fingers crossed the weather holds out so the work can be completed before May 18th. We will keep you posted. Those lilacs smell amazing! I hope you get in a walk or drive in Greenlawn today.
All fundraising goes toward the restoration of the chapel. We are currently fundraising for the restoration of two stained glass windows by the front door of the Chapel. www.friendsofgreenlawn.org
We are making a difference all working together. Thank you for your support.
Thank you for coming out to our Ancestry Day event
It turned out to be a sunny day at Greenlawn. Thank you to everyone that made our Ancestry Days event, Finding Ancestors & Heritage Trees in Greenlawn a big success. It was so nice to meet and see so many fans.
We hope you enjoyed viewing the Chapel and finding loved ones and heritage trees in Greenlawn.
Save the date – May 18th – to celebrate the Dickson Memorial Chapel conservatory side completion, the one year anniversary of the accreditation of the F. Carroll Sargent Arboretum at Greenlawn Cemetery and 127 years ago the Chapel was given to the City of Salem.
We will share more as we know the timing. It’s so nice to see this beautiful historic, treasure and gem in Salem getting noticed, cared for and loved. Thank you again for your support!
Congratulations Charlie
Congratulations Charlie! One of our favorite FOG people! Thank you for all you do for Salem and the community, especially Greenlawn Cemetery.
Charlie Lipson, who does so much for Greenlawn, is this week’s Destination Salem, Massachusetts Tourism Star for #TourismStarTuesday in honor of his work with Salem Maritime National Historic Site.
Congratulations Charlie! Well deserved!
Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery 