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Concord nonprofit outlines plan to 'name the unnamed' at prison burial ground
Summary
Concord Prison Outreach presented 'Naming the Unnamed,' a project to memorialize 218 men buried at the Concord Prison cemetery through biographies, art panels by Mass Art students, an online gallery at the Concord Library and an interpretive seating area near the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. The Department of Corrections is cooperating; organizers plan a naming dedication and a library exhibit in November.
Liz of Concord Prison Outreach told the Cemetery Committee the group's project aims to memorialize the 218 men interred at the prison cemetery and to restore and interpret the site for public education.
"The objective of the project is to memorialize the 218 men who were buried there," Liz said, describing six project components: compiled biographies and demographics; art panels by Mass. College of Art students; an online gallery housed in the Concord Library special collections; an interactive site map; an on‑trail contemplative seating area with an interpretive panel; and community outreach and education.
Presenters told the committee much of the burial record dates from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with roughly 72% of the burials coming from Charlestown Prison and about 35% of recorded deaths attributed to tuberculosis. The group has drafted interpretive panels and an interactive map; organizers showed a prototype online site that links plot numbers to short biographies and images. Planners said the Department of Corrections has expressed interest in protecting the site and has cooperated with restoration tasks, including a planned tree removal to improve visibility from Route 2.
Committee members asked about funding and logistics; presenters said Concord Prison Outreach is a long-established local 501(c)(3) that fundraises for the work, has already received some CPA funds for related trail work, and has applied for a Mass Humanities grant to support outreach and publicity. Organizers said a naming dedication is tentatively planned for Oct. 6 at the Jerome Pavilion and a library installation is scheduled for Nov. 12.
Committee direction: members voiced strong interest and agreed to pursue nonfinancial acknowledgement and possible web links to the project from town pages; staff follow-up will focus on coordination with the Department of Corrections and on sharing project materials as they finalize panels and the interactive map.
Next steps: the presenters said they expect portions of the interactive map and online gallery to be live by October; the committee asked staff to consider ways to acknowledge the project on town web pages and to monitor any permit needs for the trail seating area.
