With the relocation of remains from the city's earliest burying ground, the cemetery became the final resting place for many of Springfield's 17th and 18th century pioneer settlers.

In 1848 the remains of Springfield's earliest European settlers were transferred to the cemetery from the Old Burying Ground by the Connecticut River.

Relocated remains included those of Mary Holyoke, daughter of William Pynchon, known as the founder of Springfield.

Designed in the English Gothic style, the chapel contains stained glass windows created by the L.C.

The statue stands above the Soldiers plot, with graves both at its base and more below a descending slope.