Municipal Cemeteries

Announcing a brand new feature on the Parks, Recreation and Cemeteries section of the City’s website  – click on the “cemetery lookup” in the list to the left, and search for your relatives who may be buried in Keene.   Existing interment records have been formatted into a searchable database.   Records date back to the late 1700’s and include entries from the nine municipal cemeteries in Keene that the department is responsible to maintain.  Please be aware that database entries have been taken from both handwritten and typed lot and interment cards, and may include either factual or typographical errors.  They also may be incomplete, and are frequently updated.   Should you notice an error, please contact the department at 603-357-9829 and we will research your concern.  Also available on the cemetery section of the website are maps (some better than others) of most of the nine cemeteries (maps here ).  As you look for your ancestors, these will help orient you in each cemetery.  We hope this makes your genealogic research easier.   Office staff members are available weekdays from 9 am to 4 pm to answer questions or you may send an email by using this link.

The Keene Cemetery Division office is located in the Keene Recreation Center, 312 Washington Street, Keene, New Hampshire.  Information is available on purchasing cemetery lots, location of Keene's cemeteries and past interments. The staff is available to help research burial records.  

Complete City rules, regulations and City ordinances relating to cemetery control and maintenance are available at the Cemetery Office, 312 Washington Street, Keene, NH 03431 Office hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 AM to 5 PM.  During July and August the office closes at 4 PM.  Telephone: 603-357-9829, Fax: 1-866-743-0609. Click here for Cemetery Lot and Burial Fees.

 
The City of Keene has nine municipal cemeteries:   

SUMNER KNIGHT CHAPEL  (Brochure and Reservation request form here)
 The Sumner Knight and Family Memorial Chapel is situated  in Woodland Northeast Division Cemetery.
The Chapel is constructed of granite, one and one-half stories high with basement. It has a seating capacity of one hundred fifty (150) persons and has a space for the exclusive use of both the minister and the bereaved family.
The City of Keene by its Councils accepted the bequest of Marcus W. Knight on December 4, 1930, and a complete copy of the Council Resolution relative to the "Marcus W. Knight Bequest" appears in the Annual Report for the City of Keene, dated 1931.

The guidelines for use of the chapel adopted by the Keene City Council are as follows:
Type of uses:

• Funerals
• Memorial services
• Non-denominational services on an occasional basis
• Hymn sings
• Programs of meditation
• Meetings of historical societies
• By any group whose main concern is the upkeep of the chapel

Fee policy:
There will be charges to cover the cost of opening and securing the building when the use is outside of regular working hours.  There may not be any use of the Chapel which charges an entrance fee or registration fee. Donations may be taken during any use and donations to the City for use of the chapel is encouraged.

Monuments, Markers, Flowers, Urns, etc.

1. All municipal cemeteries shall be permitted to have monuments, markers and cornerstones of such dimensions, placement and materials as shall be permitted by regulation. All markers and cornerstones shall be set flush with the lawn surface so that no part of such marker or cornerstone shall protrude above the surface of the ground.
  No trees or bushes shall be planted in any lot or cemetery by any individual. Only dwarf rose bushes, dwarf lilacs and evergreen shrubbery permitted by regulation are allowed. Rose bushes and evergreen shrubbery are permitted in upright monument sections only. Vases, urns, or potted plants may be placed against monuments or on markers for Memorial Day, but must be removed by September 30 of that year. The Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities may at his/her discretion have pots and urns which contain mostly dead flowers removed at any time. Flowers may be planted and must be placed against the front of the headstone and bedded the exact length of the headstone and may not come out from the headstone more than eight (8) inches. Artificial flowers are prohibited from April 1 through October 31.

2. No monument, marker, cornerstone or memorial shall be placed on any lot until said lot is paid in full.

3. All work on monuments, markers, foundations and lettering shall be done during the working hours of the Cemetery Division. Such work during non-working hours of the Cemetery Division may be performed by permission of the Director given in writing in advance.

4. Rose and lilac bushes may not be planted until a permit is obtained from the Cemetery Division.  A listing of permissible species is available at the Cemetery office. All rose bushes and lilacs must be kept trimmed and attended for disease and insects. No rose bush or lilac may exceed the height of the monument and may only be planted at the end of the monuments. Should any rose bush or lilac become unsightly or infested, one warning shall be directed to the permit holder. If there is no response to the warning or no correction of the problem noted within the time prescribed, the Cemetery Division shall remove the bushes. Fees for rose bushes and lilac permits shall be set forth in these ordinances.

5. Dwarf evergreen shrubbery may be planted under perpetual care. The shrubbery may not exceed the height of the monument by more than six inches and may be planted only at the ends of the monument. A listing of permissible species is available at the Cemetery Office. Replacements of previous evergreen shrubs must conform to regulations. Perpetual care shrubbery shall receive a yearly trimming and will be replaced when they die. Perpetual care for shrubs already in place may be purchased if all the criteria are met and proof can be shown that the shrubs are less than two years old.

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