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CPC conditionally recommends Mill River Cemetery application pending Historical Commission designation
Summary
The Community Preservation Committee unanimously recommended Town Meeting approve the Mill River Cemetery application if the Deerfield Historical Commission formally designates the cemetery as historically significant; the Historical Commission will consider designation on March 9, 2026.
Ben Bensen, identified in the minutes as Deerfield Historical Commission Chair, told the Community Preservation Committee that the Mill River Cemetery application is complete except for a formal Historical Commission designation of historic significance, which is scheduled for March 9, 2026. Bensen noted that the first burials at Mill River Cemetery date to 1801 and the most recent to 2024, indicating the cemetery represents a substantial sweep of Deerfield history.
Committee member Peter James said the Mill River Cemetery application and an earlier 2020 Old Deerfield Cemetery document are well written and could serve as templates for future cemetery CPC applications. Lili Dwight moved to have the CPC recommend Town Meeting approve the Mill River Cemetery application conditioned on the Deerfield Historical Commission deeming the cemetery historically significant; Frank Leoni seconded and the Committee voted unanimously.
The minutes also summarize that Deerfield contains a mix of town-maintained graveyards, privately maintained graveyards, a graveyard maintained by an adjacent property owner, and at least one graveyard with no current caretaker. The minutes do not record a specific timetable beyond the Historical Commission’s March 9 agenda item.
