at Mount Auburn
Friends of
Mount Auburn
_____________________________
January 2012
This brochure includes the angels and cherubs found on the route this tour will follow. See the map on the inside of the last page of this booklet. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews, xiii, 2 “And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them…and they were sore afraid. And the angel said to them: Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." -- (Luke, II, 9-11) Antiphon for Divine Wisdom by Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) Sophia! You of the whirling wings, Circling encompassing Energy of God: You quicken the world in your clasp. One wing soars in heaven One wing sweeps the earth And the third flies all around us. Praise to Sophia! The word angel derives from the Greek “angelos” which means messenger. In Islam the word for angel is “mala” which also means messenger. Angels and Cherubs Represent Messengers and Spirits who * mediate between the human and the divine * sing praises and joy * make music; carry trumpets and harps * point to Heaven * care for the dead * pray for us * watch over children * represent departing spirits * proclaim and carry scrolls and banners * make records in the Book of Life * guide souls to Heaven
Story Chapel Designed by Willard Sears and built between 1896 and 1898, Story Chapel is used for Memorial Services and Friends’ activities. Inside the Chapel a host of angels carved of wood sings overhead. The Roof Angels, shown left, are modeled on the roof structures at London’s Westminster Hall built from 1385 onwards during the reign of King Richard II.
Photo of Story Chapel, ca. late 1930s
Holbrook Family Lot (Lot #2697, Central Avenue) A tall angel points toward heaven. Five young children were the first burials in this lot between 1860 and 1879. This angel, pointing skyward, is a common image reflected in Victorian Cemetery tastes.
Knox Family Lot (Lot #295. Poplar Ave.) A marble angel carefully makes an entry in the Book of Life. The family lot is that of Robert Knox (1770-1857). He was a naval officer who commanded a gunboat in the War of 1812 and who later worked at the Charlestown Navy Yard until he retired.
Warren Lot (Lot #6149, Larch Avenue) This handsome urn, embellished with cherub faces, was once atop a tall obelisk on an older family lot. First interment was of William Warren who died in 1905.
Clapp Lot (Lot #5692, Magnolia Avenue) A beautiful bronze green slate shows two angels in prayer on either side of an urn. This monument was made by John Evans Co. in 1921. Leonora Clapp died in 1912 at age 29. Her Husband, James Ford Clapp, a renowned Boston architect who died in 1941, is also interred here.
Stone Lot (Lot #3930, Vinca Path) A cherub bears a garland of flowers on this charming monument erected in 1880. James Stone died in 1880. Mary, his wife, had this stone placed on their family lot. Mary died in 1893. Smaller individual monuments to family members were added over the years.
Libbey Lot (Lot #2774, Oak Avenue) A kneeling angel sits atop a pedestal which is decorated with a floral wreath.
Morrill Lot (Lot #3642, Petunia Path) An angel carrying a lily watches over the graves of four young children, burials in this lot between 1865-1869, and that of their mother, Mira, who died in childbirth in 1869. Alfred Morrill owned a company in Cambridgeport that manufactured engines and elevators. Alfred died in 1902.
Hawes Lot (Lot #6057, Eagle Avenue) Two angels bear a laurel wreath on this granite monument created by the Tiffany Studio. Charles died in 1905; his wife, Alice Black Gould Hawes, in 1908.
Wainwright Mausoleum (Lot #6471, Eagle & Birch Avenues) This early 20th century granite mausoleum has double bronze doors 21 inches wide and 6 feet, 6 inches high.
Wyman Lot (Lot #6002, Bradlee Road near Crystal Avenue) This complex composition incorporates an angel with flowers, a tree trunk, the cross of faith and the anchor of hope. It was created by F. Barnicoat, a Quincy, Massachusetts sculptor of high grade statuary and monuments. His turn of the century catalogue featured images depicting faith, hope and remembrance. Inscription: "Safe in the Arms of Jesus"
Sears Lot (Lot #6009, Opal Path near intersection with Crystal Avenue) An angel carries a banner: "LUX AETERNA" or “Eternal Light.� This marble monument was created by sculptor, Bela Pratt (1867-1917), whose heroic bronze women, Art and Science, stands beside the main entrance of the Boston Public Library, facing Copley Square. Pratt was mentored by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Interments in the lot are Philip Sears, his wife, Sarah Lyman Sears, and other family members. Inscription on the base: With Thee is the Fountain of Life In Thy Light Shall We see Light.
Whitney Lot (Lot #4510, Oriole Path) This is another complex monument. An angel lifts opens the casket as a cherub assists in this elaborate monument created in the late 1880s. (See cover image) Image from an 1883 Souvenir guide to Mount Auburn Cemetery.
Nevins Lot (Lot #4659, Eagle Avenue) Mrs. Henry Nevins commissioned this monument for her husband, Henry Coffin Nevins (18431892). Leading sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, (1848-1907) designed it and the architect, Stanford White, oversaw its placement at Mount Auburn. Two young angels hold garlands and a laurel wreath on the upright portion. Two large palm fronds surround a cross carved on the horizontal tablet. At Easter this lot is adorned with many spring flowers. Inscription in the wreath: Until daybreak and the shadows flee away. (Song of Solomon, ii, 17)
Chickering Lot (Magnolia Avenue). The sculptor, Thomas Ball, (1819-1911) described his work as "The Realization of Faith." Here the Angel of Death holding a downward pointing flaming torch, lifts the veil from the eyes of Faith carrying a cross. Ball is best known in Boston for his equestrian statue of Washington in the Public Garden. This monument honors the Chickering family of piano makers. On the pedestal the muse of music sits holding a laurel wreath and a lyre with two broken strings. As part of Mount Auburn’s initiative to preserve its most significant monuments, in 2011 this monument was steam cleaned and special treatments were used on it to slow biological growth. Inscription on the monument: Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews, xi, 1) Nickerson Lot (Lot # 2142, Sylvan Path) A recording angel poses proudly on this soaring monument. Companion Lot #2140 was set aside for burials of the family’s young children who died before they were 10. (See Knox Family Lot memorial for another image of a recording angel.)
acanthus - heavenly gardens anchor - hope angel - resurrection bird - the soul butterfly - freedom circle - eternity column - commemoration column (broken) - death, sorrow, life cut short daisy - innocence, youth draped urn - sorrow, traditional symbol of death egg and dart - life and death fleur-de-lys - the holy Trinity harp - joy interlocking rings - marriage iris - eloquence ivy - friendship, fidelity, feminine lamb - Good Shepherd, a favorite symbol in commemorating children lily - purity lily of the valley - purity, humility lotus - immortality, silence morning glory - the Resurrection, bonds of love narcissus - death of youth whose memory stirs thoughts of beauty oak - strength, endurance, masculine olive branch - peace palm - eternal peace, spiritual victory pansy - remembrance, humility pointing hands - “gone home to Heaven� poppy - rest, sleep, peace shell - the Baptism of Christ torch (upright) - immortality, liberty torch (dowturned) - death winged hour glass - time is fleeting winged sun-disc - divine protection (Egyptian) wild rose - love willow - bereavement wheat - longevity, a long life lived wreath of laurel or olive - victory
LOCATIONS OF LOTS
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1. Story Chapel 2. Holbrook 3. Knox 4. Warren 5. Clapp
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6. Stone 7. Libbey 8. Morrill 9. Hawes
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10. Wainwright
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11. Wyman
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12. Sears 13. Whitney 14. Nevins 15. Chickering
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16. Nickerson 15
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Friends of Mou nt Aub u rn
_______________________________________________________ 580 Mount Auburn Street | Cambridge, MA 02138 We invite you to participate in the programs of the Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery. Membership information is available at the Gatehouse information rack, the Visitors Center, and the Office. Since its founding in 1831, Mount Auburn Cemetery has retained its original purpose of being a natural setting for the commemoration of the dead and for the comfort and inspiration of the bereaved and the general public. Its grounds offer a place for reflection and for observation of nature—trees, shrubs, flowering plants, ponds, gentle hills, and birds both resident and migrant. Visitors come to study our national heritage by visiting the graves of noted Americans and enjoying the great variety of monuments and memorials. Mount Auburn Cemetery began the “rural” cemetery movement out of which grew America’s public parks. Its beauty and historic associations make it an internationally renowned landscape. Designated a National Historic Landmark, Mount Auburn remains an active, non-sectarian cemetery offering a wide variety of interment and memorialization options. t: 617-547-7105 | f: 617-876-4405 www.mountauburn.org Funding provided in part by The Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery is a nonprofit charitable trust promoting the appreciation and preservation of the cultural, historic and natural resources of America’s first landscaped cemetery, founded in 1831.
© Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery, 2012
Walk prepared by Rosemarie Smurzynski Based on Angel walks prepared by Janet Heywood, 1995-2005