The cemetery of the former St. Stanislaus parish in Nashua, New Hampshire, is a site that stands as a vivid testimony to the existence there, in the 19th and 20th centuries, of one of the numerous Roman Catholic-related parish communities of Polish immigrants on American soil.

A brief history of the cemetery

The necropolis was established in 1914 on an 8-acre (approximately 3.2 ha) parish-purchased land located in the eastern part of town, on the slope of a local land cul-de-sac at 61 Pine Hill Road. For many years the cemetery remained neglected and it was only following extensive works undertaken in 1950 (initiated a little earlier by Fr Joseph Piszczalka, the parish caretaker until 1948) that it was in a condition that met the requirements of form and aesthetics appropriate to a burial ground. The area of the cemetery was enlarged, levelled and landscaped. Alleys covered with asphalt and concrete were then laid out, intersecting at right angles and running in a semicircle in the upper part of the necropolis. The cemetery was separated from the main road - Pine Hill Road - by a low granite wall with two gates and a gate with iron wings, while the remaining boundaries were defined by a wooden fence and a mesh fence.

The western part of the cemetery is occupied by tombstones and is an area of about 1 ha, the remaining free space is an area reserve that can be used as a car park during ceremonies held there. Work on the cemetery continued until 1958, at a cost of $42,000. Since 1951, the revitalised area has been known as 'Pulaski Park'.

At the top of the necropolis is the cemetery chapel. It is a modest building, dating from 1945, used for funeral ceremonies. It was built on a rectangular plan, has white walls made of ceramic blocks with windows, bearing a gabled roof covered with asphalt shingles. The gable wall, which forms the façade, is crowned by a cross placed in the ridge, and there is also an open wooden column porch, shielding the entrance.

Polish cemetery in Nashua - characteristics
The necropolis, although Polish in essence, has a Puritan character, typical of New England cemeteries. It is filled with stone tombstones loosely arranged in rows on a well-kept, lawn-covered surface, the vast majority without crosses, with modest epigraphy. Between them are irregularly stacked flush with the ground surface small-sized stone grave slabs (plaques). What is conspicuous is the lack of any fencing of the grave fields, at the same time they are not separated anywhere. The necropolis has 348 set stone gravestones and 303 slabs/tables placed flush with the ground, a total of 651 sepulchral objects. According to the cemetery administration, it commemorates the burial of 1178 people (numerous headstones are dedicated to several individuals). Headstones with inscriptions in English and non-Polish names are a definite rarity in this cemetery.

Commemorations in the Nashua cemetery
The central alley leading upwards is capped by a massive granite cross. The monument is dedicated to the nine US Army soldiers of Polish descent who fell during the Second World War. Their names are engraved on the granite block. Masts with American and Polish flags stand next to it. The monument is the dominant feature of the necropolis. It was erected in 1984 by parishioners of the St. Stanislaus Ladies Guild.

In the upper part of the cemetery, to the right, there is a second commemorative monument (no date). It is a tall vertical slab, dedicated to the Polish missionaries of the congregation "Our Lady of Lasalette", with seven names on it, six of them Polish.

The Nashua cemetery is dominated by simple stone (granite or limestone) stelae, sometimes with crosses set on them. Older gravestones are often monolithic vertical slabs together with a cross, sometimes a cross stylised as a tree trunk is perched on rocks. Small grave slabs (plaques) placed on the ground surface are rectangular in shape. They mostly commemorate soldiers of the American army (most often of Polish descent) who fought on land and sea during the Second World War (and died after its end).

The tombstone inscriptions are almost all in Polish and are concise in the information they contain. In many cases, they comprise a family chronicle over several generations. It should be added that sometimes the orthographic inscription turns into a phonetic one. The oldest date of death encountered in this cemetery is 1915, the most recent is 2022.

The grave inscriptions at St Stanislaus Cemetery in Nashua are a clear example of the progressive linguistic Americanisation of the local Polish community. In the first place, this concerns first names - in most cases they are written in English, e.g. Alice, Anthony, Eugene, Joseph, Mary, Stanley, as are family relationships: "daughter", "son", "wife". However, surnames on the oldest gravestones appear in the original spelling, with the '-wski' ending being replaced by '-ski', '-ski' by '-sky' and 'sh' by 'sh'. Many surnames attest to the origin of emigrants from the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania, including Alukonis, Degulis, Gidymin, Juonis, Mozejka, Panagoulis or Stanulonis.

Numerous tombstones feature a figure of Christ on the cross carved in stone in the upper part, as well as an open book motif, a portrait of the Merciful Christ, a winged angel, the figure of a monk or an image of the Virgin Mary of the Dawn Gate. There are also meticulously executed bas-reliefs, images of the Merciful Christ or the Virgin Mary with Child. Geometrical or floral ornamentation also appears in the decoration. In some cases, secondary decorative figures - Christ the Merciful or a winged angel - made of artificial stone have been placed on tombstones.

The cemetery is an example of the former Polish parish maintaining cultural continuity through the cultivation of spiritual values brought from its homeland.