In 1696, because of the hazards encountered while crossing the "Great River" to attend church and after several petitions from the residents, the General Court of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay gave the inhabitants on the west side of the river permission to settle their own minister.
Immediately upon receiving permission, 6-acres of land along the north side of the highway, now called Park Street, were set aside for the minister’s use. This parcel quickly became known as the "Minister’s Lot". It was to be owned by the town, but reserved for the exclusive use of the first and all future Congregational Church Ministers. No building was allowed on the property. The southwest corner of the "Minister’s Lot" became the Park Street Cemetery.
The earliest headstone in the cemetery is that of the Congregational Church Deacon, Caleb Bliss, who died in 1758. Burials were spread out over a 238-year period with Edwin Stewart being the last person to be buried here in 1996.
After the Revolutionary War, and as a result of the freedom of religion articles in the new state and federal constitutions, the concept of the Congregational Church as the only church in a community was being challenged. Because of this, in 1820, the inhabitants of West Springfield decided that, except for the burying ground, they would sell all the lands that had been previously set aside for the use and maintenance of the Congregational Church Minister. The rights to the burying ground itself, however, were retained by and still remain the property of the "Inhabitants of the First Parish of West Springfield".