Sheffield usually gets credit for the earliest colonial settlement in the Berkshires, but, arguably, it is the small town of Mount Washington that was first.
Early settlers from Westfield claimed land in what is now Sheffield back in 1724. But a neighboring plateau called Taghkanic Mountain claimed by the colony of New York was settled in the late 1600s by tenants and squatters. The settlement was eventually determined to be in Massachusetts and renamed Mount Washington in honor of George Washington.
Some historians believe that the Old Burial Ground at Mount Washington could be the oldest cemetery in the Berkshires. This belief, however, needs some clarification. It might be the oldest cemetery for early Dutch settlers from New York. There are, of course, much earlier burial grounds for indigenous peoples.
The Old Burial Ground is featured in an 1892 photograph shown above, and was labeled as the “Oldest cemetery in County.” Note the background had been clear-cut by farmers and colliers who harvested the trees for charcoal used in nearby iron kilns. The earliest graves are indicated by soil depressions, and about 130 small fieldstones are set up with no markings or engravings. The earliest marked gravestone that survives is dated 1772. Readable names on the engraved gravestones include Benjamin, Boeker, Dibbble, Dibell, Hulet, Schutt, Sterett, and Wright.
The cemetery is located at the end of an unmarked path that winds through the state forest abutting West Street. The site is also known as the Ann Lee Cemetery because it is located near a cottage, now gone, once visited by the founding leader of the Shakers known as Mother Ann Lee. More about that cottage in my next “Then & Now” column.
