Stafford Hill Memorial

The Stafford Hill Memorial is a stone memorial on Stafford Hill Road in Cheshire, Massachusetts. The memorial was built in 1927 to commemorate the grave site of Joab (als spelled Jorab) Stafford, who settled in what is now Cheshire in 1767. The stone structure was designed as a replica of a stone tower in Rhode Island, where Stafford came from. Joab Stafford, after settling in Cheshire, formed a militia company that fought in the Battle of Bennington in August 1777. Stafford later moved to Albany, New York but returned to Cheshire in 1800 and died there in 1802. In 1927, the local Sons of the American Revolution raised funds by subscription to construct a memorial to Stafford at his gravesite. The memorial tower was constructed of fieldstone in that year. The memorial incorporates Stafford's grave site, the tower, and a variety of commemorative plaques. In the years since, some of the plaques have been stolen, and others have been removed to Cheshire Town Hall for safekeeping. The memorial and its surrounding land are owned and maintained by the town. The memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. File:Tomb of COL. JORAB STAFFORD.JPG|Tomb Stone on Sarcophagus of Col. Jorab Stafford File:Limestone Plaque Dedicated to New Providence Settlers.JPG|Limestone Plaque in Tower Wall