The first burial of colonial settlers was in 1655 making this cemetery the oldest in Norwalk. The triangle shape echos that of the Norwalk green at the top of East Ave., and like the green, this land is owned by a taxing district, this time the third taxing district based in East Norwalk. (For the history of the East Norwalk Taxing District check out our guides to neighborhoods.)
At the top of the cemetery is a memorial to the First Settlers of Norwalk Memorial displaying the names of the 31 settlers who founded Norwalk in 1649. But, not all these illustrious founders are buried here, or at least known to be buried here. The relatively harsh conditions of colonial life meant that it took a while to accumulate the resources to build elaborate or long-lasting tombstones.
Notably there is an unusual tombstone for Thomas Fitch IV, a governor of the Connecticut Colony from 1754 through 1766. He was born in Norwalk in 1699 and died in 1774, missing out on all things American Revolution. His tombstone is a stone desk with a lengthy inscription on the tabletop.
There are many headstones that no longer show the grace occupant and many more that lacked a headstone, to begin with.
Not surprisingly, the question of who was going to pay to maintain the cemetery was passed down from generations until the mid-1960s when the East Taxing District assumed the deed of the cemetery. The various high wind storms have toppled many trees in the cemetery, but the original look and feel is pretty intact.
