Samuel Chapin Image 1

Deacon Samuel Chapin was reputedly buried originally in "The Old Burial Grounds" on the banks of the Connecticut River, then called the Great River. Upon the arrival of trains and construction of train tracks through Springfield, all burials there were removed to the Springfield Cemetery in 1848. Only about 220 stones can still be seen, including one of Samuel's sons, Japhet. But most of the remains were apparently placed in an unmarked mass grave. The statue at Merrick Park was commissioned by Chester Chapin, a wealthy industrialist from Springfield and a direct descendant of the Deacon.

He buried in the Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, Hampden County, MA With his wife Cecily Penny Chapin. He was immortalized by master sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens in bronze with his work called "The Puritan" , a 8 foot 71/2 inch 1887 that can be found in the Springfield Merrick Park