Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domain1734 colonial burying ground on the old Palmer Center road
Flynt Street at Route 32, Palmer, MA
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free; access is on a partially blocked road and neighbors monitor the site
Access
Limited Access
Uneven ground, low stone walls
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1734 · Colonial Massachusetts Burial Ground · Original Palmer Town Center
From the 1730s through the early 1800s, religious, social, business, and government activity in Palmer was centered at the intersection of Flynt Street and Route 32. The cemetery was founded in 1734, with land set aside the following spring as a burying place attached to the meeting house. The first documented burial is Martha Parsons, daughter of Benjamin Parsons, who died March 30, 1737.
As Palmer's center shifted south to what is now Main Street, the original village faded. The road through the old center is now partially closed, and the cemetery sits roughly a mile north of Main Street off Route 32 toward Ware. Local materials describe it as 'almost a distant, hidden memory.' The site is listed in Find a Grave under Palmer Center Cemetery and remains documented in Hampden County genealogical records.
Sources
Community-submitted material describes a cloaked figure known locally as the Lantern Man, said to walk among the colonial headstones at night carrying a lantern. The same accounts describe orbs photographed at the site and voices captured on audio recordings.
These accounts are anonymous and not corroborated by published investigation. The cemetery's lonely setting and 1730s stones likely contribute to the folklore. Neighbors actively monitor the site and will contact police about after-dark visitors; the cemetery should be visited only during daylight, with respect for its colonial-era interments.
Notable Entities
Visit Palmer Center Cemetery, founded in 1734 at the corner of Flynt Street and Route 32, where the original town of Palmer was centered. The earliest documented burial is Martha Parsons, daughter of Benjamin Parsons, who died March 30, 1737. Visit during daylight only; neighbors monitor the site and will contact police about after-hours visitors.
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