Prospect Hill Cemetery

Prospect Hill is one of the oldest cemeteries in Brattleboro. Originally it was a small, cleared area at the top of the wooded hill south of the East Village referred to as Cemetery Hill. Over the years, sections were added until it reached the current size of twelve and a half acres which extends along South Main Street. There are approximately 3000 people buried in the cemetery. There are no plots for sale, however, burials still occur in family plots that were purchased many years ago.

The earliest stones are some well-preserved slate markers at the north end of the cemetery. At the southern end are some very large granite monuments dating from the late 1800s. There is also a Soldiers’ plot containing 18 graves of Civil War soldiers who died at the Union Hospital that was opened in Brattleboro in 1863. Most of these soldiers were not from Vermont but are now remembered here. Unfortunately, erosion, pollution, and vandalism have taken their toll and many of the stones in this cemetery are weathered or broken. Nature has also re-claimed some areas making the headstones difficult to locate under bushes or where trees have grown up.

While the cemetery has always belonged to the town, it was for many years under the control of the Prospect Hill Cemetery Association. In the late 1990s responsibility was officially returned to the town and is again under the auspices of the Selectboard in their role as cemetery commissioners. When the Prospect Hill Cemetery Association disbanded, most of the records were given to the Brattleboro Historical Society.