Gifts and Bequests

The entrance gateway on Wahconah Street was erected in 1884 through a bequest provided in the will of the late Thomas Allen.  His widow, Ann Russell Allen, gave the bronze gates to complete the entrance way.  The structure was designed by J. Phillip Rinn of Boston and was constructed of Great Barrington Blue Stone.

The Martin Memorial Chapel was dedicated on October 17, 1900 by Mary Martin Clapp, fifty years after  the opening of the Pittsfield Cemetery.  The chapel is a memorial to Mary’s father, Calvin Martin, who was one of the original incorporators of the cemetery and the first President of the board of directors.

An endowment in the amount of $10,000 was provided by Mary G. Clapp Bagg so that the chapel will be properly maintained and used at no charge required for services held in the building.

The Sloan Memorial Bridge which crosses the brook flowing near the entrance to the grounds was provided by a gift from Dr. Joseph D. Howe in memory of his uncle the late William H. Sloan.  The bridge was built in 1932 of reinforced concrete.

The late May Wolfe left a bequest of $5,000 in her will to be used for the general purposes of the cemetery, this money was received in 1944 and added to the Perpetual Care Fund.

The iron picket fence running along part of Wahconah Street, was a gift to the cemetery by the late Charles L. Hibbard, who was the president of the cemetery at the time of his death in 1947.