Rural or garden cemeteries provided oases of rural, naturalistic landscaping in rapidly expanding cities. They combined richly carved and handsomely designed monuments, mausoleums, and other funerary art and architecture with dramatic landscapes of rural vistas, lush vegetation, and varied terrain.
The founders of the Lowell Cemetery envisioned it as much a park as a cemetery. The establishment of the cemetery pre-dates the first public parks in Lowell, the North and South Commons, in 1845. It was not uncommon for residents to take walks and carriage rides through the cemetery and it became a popular recreational area for those seeking to escape the city and experience nature.
The cemetery is the final resting place for countless members of the community including mayors, governors, and members of Congress. It includes many outstanding examples of markers and monuments by local architects as well as sculptors and carvers of local and national acclaim.