Here is an incomplete list of links pertaining to all things Greenlawn Cemetery. This is a work in progress. These links will take you to third party sites not run by nor controlled by the Friends of Greenlawn – they are provided as an aid if you’re interested in reading more about Greenlawn Cemetery, the Dickson Memorial Chapel and Conservatory, the collaborative efforts to restore the Chapel, notables buried within the cemetery, etc.
If you happen to find a link is not working or if you happen to know of a link that would be appropriate to include here, please contact us and let us know. This is a work in progress.
All links working as of: 09/09/2019
Social Media
Friends of Greenlawn – Facebook Group
(If you’re on Facebook, check out our group. All are welcome!)
General Information
Greenlawn Cemetery article on Wikipedia
Greenlawn Cemetery entry on the Salem Wiki (SalWiki)
Salem’s Cemetery & Shade Tree Department
(City department responsible for maintaining Salem’s five municipally owned cemeteries, including Greenlawn; this site also lists Greenlawn’s Rules & Regulations, including “Rules of Etiquette” which are also posted on signs within the cemetery)
Salem Code of Ordinances, Chapter 16: Cemeteries
(This site covers the ordinances for the City of Salem; this link in particular takes you directly to the ordinances pertaining to Salem’s cemeteries, including Greenlawn Cemetery.)
Salem Cemetery Commission
(The Cemetery Commission oversees policies regarding Salem’s five municipally owned cemeteries, including Greenlawn.)
Cemetery Find – Greenlawn Cemetery’s Searchable Burial Records Database
(Use this link to search for loved ones and anybody else interred at Greenlawn Cemetery.)
Find A Grave – Greenlawn Cemetery’s listing at Find A Grave
(Find A Grave is a website that features a searchable database of those interred at numerous cemeteries throughout the USA as well as volunteer-submitted photos of gravesites within those cemeteries.)
Wreaths Across America – Salem/Greenlawn Cemetery page
(this organization lays wreaths at the graves of all service members in December every year; the link above takes you to the local Salem page for this organization)
Dickson Memorial Chapel Restoration
(For news articles highlighting the restoration, please check out the links under the heading “Greenlawn Cemetery in the News” below.)
Salem Planning & Community Development Dept. – Studies & Reports
(If you scroll through the listing of projects, you will find documents pertaining to the restoration of the Dickson Memorial Chapel, including a slide presentation.)
Flora & Fauna of Greenlawn
Our NEW Greenlawn Cemetery Tree Map
Notable Trees in Salem
(This site is about trees throughout the city of Salem, but it does feature individual trees located within Greenlawn Cemetery; also, the information concerning the different tree species throughout Salem is thorough and even though some of the individual trees noted are not located in the cemetery, Greenlawn does have trees of many of the same species, so it’s a great site to learn about native & non-native tree species in the area.)
Greenlawn History
Historic Salem page featuring the Dickson Memorial Chapel at Greenlawn
Greenlawn Cemetery page at MA GenWeb
(this page is one of the older ones and as such, it does not appear to have been updated since 2009; however, it provides a small list of some notables buried within Greenlawn)
“The Brookhouse: A Residence for Women” – North Shore Magazine
(This article is actually about a rest home located in Salem, MA whose tie to Greenlawn is that within the cemetery there lies a burial section reserved specifically for women who were residents of the rest home.)
“How did Nursery St get its name” – Salem News
(This link discusses how several streets in North Salem came to bear the names they have today and it had a lot to do with the nursery culture in the area way back when. There is a brief mention of Greenlawn near the end but it has been speculated that some of the plantings within Greenlawn came from the nearby nurseries.)
“Address of the Mayor”, 1921 – Google Books
(This link is to the Google Books ebook viewer for a report published in 1921 discussing city of Salem matters. This specific link is to all mentions of “Greenlawn” within the text – clicking on each individual result will open the page where Greenlawn is mentioned in the text.)
“Remembering When Americans Picnicked in Cemeteries” – Atlas Obscura
(Greenlawn Cemetery is not directly mentioned but this article addresses an element of 19th century life that contributed to the 19th century rural cemetery movement – this was a movement that played an integral part in Greenlawn’s 19th and 20th century development.)
Greenlawn Cemetery in the News
(These are listed chronologically as they were published, with the most recent articles closest to the top. A note regarding Salem News articles – articles on their website are only viewable for a time before they’re made available only to subscribers or for a fee.)
2018
May 28, 2018 – “At Greenlawn Cemetery, Salem pays fallen heroes respect” – Wicked Local: Salem
2017
Nov 28, 2017 – “Phase one down, way more to go” – Salem News (Salem, MA) “
(This is a video that corresponds to the same dated article “Salem officials celebrate first phase of restoration at historic chapel” article. If you missed the ribbon cutting ceremony, this is the next best thing.)
Apr 11, 2017 – https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/fyi-salem/e/49724088?autoplay=true
2016
Dec 15, 2016 – “Wreath ceremony grows in Salem” – Salem News (Salem, MA)
(This article features Wreaths Across America and their work within the cemetery every December to make sure every veteran’s grave receives a wreath. Links to more information about their work and the local Salem group can be found under the “General Information” heading above.)
Feb 24, 2016 – “Dickson Memorial Chapel Restoration: Call for ‘Love Letters'” – FYI Salem: Mayor Kim Driscoll’s Bimonthly Newsletter (Salem, MA) – PDF download
(This link is actually a PDF file download of the newsletter.)
2015
Sep 4, 2015 – “Butterfly Man: Meet Beverly resident Dwayne Taylor and his ‘Monarch-making Machine'” – Salem News (Salem, MA)
(This article features a local man known for his work with monarch butterflies, which includes lending a helping hand to those that venture into Greenlawn Cemetery.)
2013
Nov 14, 2013 – “Greenlawn Ceremony is improving” – Enterprise News (Brockton, MA)
Oct 22, 2013 – “Finally, grave tells hero’s story” – Salem News (Salem, MA)
(This article is about John P. Riley, who earned a Medal of Honor for his heroic service during the Spanish-American War. He is Salem’s only Medal of Honor recipient and is interred in Greenlawn.)
–UPDATE: This article is no longer available online to non-subscribers to the Salem News. Non-subscribers are now required to pay a fee.
May 23, 2013 – “Preserving Salem’s historic Greenlawn” – Salem Gazette, via Wicked Local (Salem, MA)
2012
Aug 10, 2012 – “Rare cemetery trees get club’s attention” – Salem News (Salem, MA)
–UPDATE: This article is no longer available online to non-subscribers to the Salem News. Non-subscribers are now required to pay a fee.
Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery 