History

In 1849 twenty-two citizens each pledged financial support of $100 and organized the Andover Cemetery Association. The Association purchased eleven acres on the south side of Salem Street, and during the summer of 1850 the land was surveyed and laid out. It was consecrated as the Andover Cemetery on October 10, 1850, and Captain Francis Ingalls, who died November 9, 1850, was the first adult to be buried in the new cemetery.

On April 7, 1855, North Andover was separated from Andover to form a separate town, and in 1875 the name of the cemetery was changed from Andover Cemetery to its present name, Ridgewood Cemetery. Over the years it has been enlarged considerably. Descendants of many of North Andover’s early families are interred within. Ridgewood Cemetery’s monuments reflect many names from North Andover’s history, names that today mark streets, schools and other landmarks.

The Cemetery is beautifully maintained and landscaped. It is located on the south side of Salem Street about one quarter mile east of the Old North Andover Center. A mortared stone wall marks the cemetery’s boundary along Salem Street. The main entrance is flanked by a beautiful pair of bronze gates erected in 1908 and presented by Mr. George H. Gilbert in memory of his aunt, Lavinia Farnham. The older stones are to be found near the entrance and along the ridge of Salem Street, with newer monuments further down the hill towards the back of the grounds.

Ridgewood Cemetery is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.