West Hill Cemetery
Located in Barre Town, the West Hill Cemetery occupies a small site on Perry Hill. The cemetery is accessible through a gate in the wrought iron fence just off the edge of the adjacent gravel highway. The site is mostly open with only a few trees and a small bed of flowers at the cemetery sign.
West Hill represents Barre Town’s forgotten cemetery. Without written records, not much is known about the site. The few remaining stones provide the only snapshot of those that rest there, but all stones can speak to us about those who lay below them. Due to the age of the cemetery and the length of time since burials occurred there, the cemetery is no longer available for use by the local citizens. Although not used for active burials, the cemetery crew takes excellent care of the grounds, investing as much time and effort into maintaining the site as they do in the active cemeteries.
Unfortunately, none of the really old records concerning the West Hill Cemetery can be found in Barre Town, or Barre City. Without really knowing how old this cemetery might be, the use of photographic evidence in West Hill Cemetery uncovered a useable clue. The Vermont Old Cemetery Association referenced the oldest stone as 1800, surely within historic context, but a photo of a slate stone carrying the date of 1799 can be found. The last burial at West hill occurred in 1895.
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