Woodlawn Chapel
Location: Concord Road, immediately north of Woodlawn Cemetery
This chapel was placed into service in 1938. The funds came from a 1925 bequest from the estate of Georgia Etta (Tuttle) Whitney for a chapel to be built in memory of her father Varnum Tuttle. In 1936, Georgia's sister Sarah Albertie (Tuttle) Watson conveyed a twelve acre woodlot next to Woodlawn Cemetery to the town both for potential expansion of the cemetery and as the location for the chapel. Sarah and Amos Tuttle, as trustees for the Georgia Whitney funds, oversaw the construction. Sarah Watson also donated funds for its upkeep.
The chapel was designed by architect H. Thaxter Underwood and built by D. F. and W. G. Burns. It was constructed of Chelmsford granite that evidently came from Westford's Fletcher Granite company. Inside, there are oak pews, stained glass windows, and an organ.
The chapel was dedicated on June 19, 1938 in memory of Varnum Tuttle (1823-1904) and Walter H. Whitney (1849-1906).
For more information, see:
Phalen, Harold R. History of the Town of Acton. Cambridge, Mass: Middlesex Printing, Inc., 1954, pages 348-350
Town of Acton. Annual Report of the Several Official Boards of the Town of Acton Massachusetts For the year ending 1936. pages 23-26.
Town of Acton. Annual Report of the Several Official Boards of the Town of Acton Massachusetts For the year ending 1938. pages 139-140.
Kennedy, Stewart (Superintendent of Cemeteries). Notes on Woodlawn Chapel and Tuttle sisters dated May 19, 1991. (Available at Acton Historical Society, item #93.110)
Littlejohn, Jane. "A Daughter's Memorial to Her Father." Unsourced newspaper clipping circa 1982, available at Acton Historical Society.
The chapel was designed by architect H. Thaxter Underwood and built by D. F. and W. G. Burns. It was constructed of Chelmsford granite that evidently came from Westford's Fletcher Granite company. Inside, there are oak pews, stained glass windows, and an organ.
The chapel was dedicated on June 19, 1938 in memory of Varnum Tuttle (1823-1904) and Walter H. Whitney (1849-1906).
For more information, see:
Phalen, Harold R. History of the Town of Acton. Cambridge, Mass: Middlesex Printing, Inc., 1954, pages 348-350
Town of Acton. Annual Report of the Several Official Boards of the Town of Acton Massachusetts For the year ending 1936. pages 23-26.
Town of Acton. Annual Report of the Several Official Boards of the Town of Acton Massachusetts For the year ending 1938. pages 139-140.
Kennedy, Stewart (Superintendent of Cemeteries). Notes on Woodlawn Chapel and Tuttle sisters dated May 19, 1991. (Available at Acton Historical Society, item #93.110)
Littlejohn, Jane. "A Daughter's Memorial to Her Father." Unsourced newspaper clipping circa 1982, available at Acton Historical Society.