On a beautiful morning in August 2024 I visited Wildwood Cemetery in Amherst. I’ll share a few photos to illustrate a variety of different settings in this large cemetery established in 1887.

In this wide-open space, graves and monuments can be placed at different angles, as chosen by family. This “random” arrangement is unusual. A special tree can also be planted beside a grave, if desired.

Rebecca Fricke, general manager of Wildwood Cemetery, greeted me at the office. She had recently requested 50 copies of our basic FCAWM brochure, “Don’t Get Caught Dead Without Us!” to replenish her supply, saying, “I give them out all the time!” I was happy to deliver the brochures and have the opportunity to meet her.

We walked together around the grounds as Rebecca shared history and discussed changes that have been implemented to allow families more choice. For instance, policies about the burial of cremated remains have been relaxed. Hiring a funeral director for that process is no longer needed.

Rebecca reports, ” We have a couple of options and we do not require a funeral home, an urn or a vault for any of them except for the columbarium which requires urns. A regular 4’x10′ lot can be opened three times for cremation burials and multiple urns/cremains can go in each opening. Our columbarium niches can hold two urns. Family can have the niche engraved. Our Boulder Garden comes with a small boulder and cremains are buried without an urn next to the boulder which can be engraved.”

The natural setting is lovely, and the variety of layouts offering many choices of woodlands or more open spaces. Sculptures have been added in some locations. See small horse in the photo below.

This Shagbark Hickory tree caught my attention. I grew up near one in eastern MA and recall its edible nuts. Seeing that tree was like recognizing an old friend!

Some grave stones memorialize historic people in Amherst’s past. Many different styles of grave stones can be see, including large natural boulders, as shown below.

Note: There are many more acres of Wildwood Cemetery beyond what I had time to explore on this visit. See their website for more information: https://www.wildwood-cemetery.com/