Cemetery & Parks Division

Parks Maintenance Division

Park maintenance operations are an integral part of making the Town of Palmer a safe and healthy place to both live and visit. Our Parks Maintenance Division operates as a division of Palmers’ Department of Public Works. Parks operations run twelve months out of the year and include the upkeep and maintenance of parks, public schools, cemeteries, green spaces, and Town owned properties.

In spring and summer months the focus is on grass cutting, trash removal, ball field preparation, park improvements, and special events.

In the fall and winter, the focus turns to leaf removal in all our parks and cemeteries as well as all the hard surfaces such as basketball/tennis courts, and parking lots. Snow and ice removal is also our top priority during these months. Park operations clears snow and ice from Palmer Public Schools, parks, town owned parking Lots, sidewalks, and Town Hall. Parks Maintenance also participates in road snowplowing operations.

Parks employees are responsible to maintain the 9 Parks, and 4 Town owned cemeteries Oak Knoll, Four Corners, Palmer Center, and Three Rivers/Thorndike Cemetery. See below

Our Parks and Playgrounds

Palmer	Eager Park Legion Field Depot Park Senior Center Chase Memorial Park Burleigh Park Water St. Field Palmer Center Greenspace (Rt32/Flynt St.) Cannon Memorial Park
Three Rivers	Nick Laviolette Field Hryniewicz Park/ Three Rivers Common
Thorndike	Town Hall/Police Department Thorndike Diamond Playground Thorndike Common at the Junction Palmer High School Old Mill Pond Elementary School
Bondsville	Bondsville Grammar Park Endelson Playground/Splash Pad

Our Cemeteries

Four Corners 

One of the newer Town cemeteries, Four Corners Cemetery is located on Main Street in the Thorndike section of Palmer. The cemetery was first laid out in 1851 after the purchase of 3 acres of land for $300. An additional parcel of land was purchased in 1932 and today the cemetery consists of approximately seven acres of open sunny meadowland. 

Oak Knoll 

The oldest and largest of the towns for cemeteries, Oak Knoll is located on Thorndike St near the junction of route 20. Oak Knoll Cemetery stands stately and elegant on approximately twenty wooded acres on a lovely, terraced hillside. Originally called the “South Burying Yard”, this cemetery was first mentioned in 1788 and the name was changed to Oak Knoll in 1911. The oldest legible dates on headstones date back to 1732 with records indicated even earlier burials in 1729. A large number of costly and elegant monuments add much to the character of Oak Knoll cemetery as the backdrop to downtown Palmer. 

Palmer Center  

Palmer Center Cemetery is located in the geographical center of Palmer, once known as the “Old Center”. The meetinghouse was located in the “old center” and in 1734 it was voted that a burying ground should be set nearby. The “burying place” was laid out in the spring of 1735. Palmer Center Cemetery contains approximately 10 acres and is located on a peaceful hillside just off Route 32 and Old Warren Rd.  Palmer Center Cemetery is considered inactive and is not available for further burials or purchases. 

Three Rivers/Thorndike Cemetery 

On a property acquired in 1837, Three Rivers/Thorndike Cemetery is located on a sunny knoll on Main Street in the village of Three Rivers consisting of approximately one acre of land. Records indicate that this cemetery was first opened in 1851 and was used almost exclusively by Baptists and Methodists. Sadly, this cemetery’s early history is not well documented in Town records. Three Rivers/Thorndike Cemetery is considered inactive and is not available for further burials or purchases.