Written by Head of Youth Services, Lindsey Recka:
On October 19, 2025, I took the Topsfield Historical Society’s tour of Pine Grove Cemetery. I enjoyed last year’s tour so much that I wanted to take the 5:00 PM tour, which included new stories and historical Topsfield residents to meet. Presenter Anne Barrett did a fantastic job of telling us their stories, using primary sources to provide local, personal, and historical context. To find the full stories of these Topsfield residents and families, take the tour, contact the Historical Society, and visit the Topsfield Library to learn and research at your own pace.
First, she introduced us to the Lake family, whose patriarch David left Topsfield in 1852 in hopes of striking it rich in California during the Gold Rush.
Next was the grave of Hannah Holmes, sister of Charles H Holmes. Charles married into the Emerson family, and served as the chairman of the Topsfield School Board three times. Barrett read us excerpts from his reports as chairman, which were colorful and entertaining. The man certainly had a way with words!
Then, we visited a monument to three Goulds, each named Zaccheus, and learned their history in Topsfield.
Another Gould gravesite we visited was that of Captain Joseph Gould, who owned the Gould House on Washington St. (and the Gould Barn located on Howlett St.). Gould is known for co-leading a company of 110 men from Topsfield toward Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 to support the American Revolution.
The last lengthy story we heard was that of Doctor Richard Dexter, who practiced medicine in Topsfield from 1740 to 1783. It was rare in the colonies to have a doctor who was full-time as a doctor at this time. Dr. Dexter performed services to all who needed service, rich and poor, with fees barely a consideration, through all weather conditions and at any time of day or night.
Our true final stop was at the grave of Mary Cook Lefavour, who died in 1797. Her epitaph is an interesting one:
“Reader pass on and ne’er waste your time,
On bad biography and bitter rhyme,
For what I am this cumb’rous clay insures,
And what I was is no affair of yours.”
Barrett reminded us that each grave in Pine Grove Cemetery, and every cemetery, holds a story, and a lifetime of stories. If you are curious about Topsfield’s history, or history in general, this tour is absolutely for you. Barrett connected each story to the greater history of the time to help provide context and understanding of how history connects to itself and connects to our present. I would happily take this tour again!
