Hamden Plains Cemetery

A broken gravestone at the State Street Cemetery at 2150 State Street in Hamden photographed Friday was established in 1799. Photo: Catherine Avalone - New Haven Register Image 2 of 2The State Street Cemetery at 2150 State Street in Hamden Friday was established in 1799.The State Street Cemetery at 2150 State Street in Hamden Friday was established in 1799. Photo: Catherine Avalone - New Haven Register Hamden’s State Street Cemetery abandoned, in disrepair, but group formed to helpBack to GalleryHAMDEN >> As she was growing up on Fenway Drive, Chelsea Wood played with other neighborhood children among the tombstones in the nearby State Street Cemetery.“It always looked spooky, even back then,” the now-Branford resident recalled of the cemetery that had graves dating back to the 18th century. “It would have been a good setting for a horror movie.”Now, decades later, the cemetery has been abandoned with no known owner or anyone affiliated with its former board of trustees. And, as occurred with the Hamden Plains Cemetery several years ago, the State Street Cemetery’s dilapidated condition has caught the attention of residents who are working to clean it up and looking for someone to step forward to claim a connection to the burial grounds.After a clean-up held in April, the cemetery looked much better, said Wood, who drives by it almost every weekend when she returns to visit her family members who still lives there. And she is glad to hear that people are concerned, she said.“There are very old graves there - we used to try to find the oldest grave,” she said. “I didn’t think much about it then, but now I realize that it is a historic place. I’m glad there are people who care and want to make sure it’s taken care of.”“Right now we are trying to find plot owners - people who own plots at the cemetery,” said local attorney Daniel Ioime... (New Haven Register)

Image 1of/1CaptionCloseImage 1 of 1lettersletters Photo: Journal Register Co. Letter to the Editor: Hamden Plains Cemetery financially soundBack to GalleryI would like to respond to the references made by Kate Ramunni in the New Haven Register regarding the Hamden Plains Cemetery.I have been a member of the Hamden Plains Cemetery Statutory Committee since its inception in 2008. To date, the cemetery is well and is managed by U.S. Cemetery LLC. The Hamden Plains Cemetery is financially sound, the condition of the cemetery is good, and while there are instances when there are questions regarding a burial location, the cemetery’s condition has improved immensely since the days of the Guevin mismanagement.Those of us remaining on the committee have worked hard to put the cemetery back on a workable footing, and in the near future, the cemetery should be ready to be returned to the members for their management according to the by-laws.— Barbara DeNicolaHamden... (New Haven Register)