Two Revolutionary War soldiers (Josiah Chute and John Swett) are buried in the historic Chute Cemetery, the only “raised” cemetery in Windham.
In the 1880s, George Washington Chute who lived at the corner of Chute and Swett Roads, cut stone from the nearby quarry on the Swett Road and walled in this little area which was first used as a family burial ground.
In 1882, George Chute gave it to the town as a public burying ground. He erected two monuments, one to the memory of his great-grandfather, Capt. Thomas Chute, the first settler of Windham (he died in 1770, place of burial unknown). The second monument was to George Chute, who “died a bachelor” Nov. 12, 1882. This cemetery will be one of those on a tour slated for Oct. 28; in the future, the land surrounding this historic antique burying ground is proposed to be developed into house lots.
Photo courtesy Windham Historical Society archives
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