S we et Auburn Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn | Summer 2015
Inspiring All Who Visit Summer 2015 | 1
President’s Corner Sweet Auburn
A publication of the Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery 580 Mount Auburn Street Cambridge, MA 02138 617-547-7105 www.mountauburn.org
Editorial Committee Bree D. Harvey, Editor Vice President of Cemetery & Visitor Services Jennifer J. Johnston, Managing Editor Webmaster, Media & Imaging Coordinator David P. Barnett, Contributing Editor President & CEO, Mount Auburn Cemetery Jane M. Carroll / Vice President of Development Dennis Collins / Horticultural Curator Candace Currie / Director of Planning & Sustainability Gus Fraser / Vice President of Preservation & Facilities Jenny Gilbert / Senior Gifts Officer Regina Harrison / Executive Assistant James Holman / Director of Cemetery Sales Tom Johnson / Family Services Coordinator Meg L. Winslow / Curator of Historical Collections
Consultant Robin Hazard Ray
Designer Elizabeth Bonadies
Printer
In this Issue
More than 200,000 visitors pass through Mount Auburn’s iconic Egyptian Revival Gateway every year.
P+R Publications Cover Photo: Curator of Historical Collections, Meg Winslow leads a summer twilight art tour of the Cemetery.
Trustees of the Friends of Mount Auburn
Improving Mount Auburn’s Entry Experience for our Visitors / 2 Inspiring the Next Generation / 4 Stories Behind the Stones: Memorable Encounters / 9
Mary Lee Aldrich, Chair, Cambridge, MA David P. Barnett, President & CEO, Boxborough, MA Sean McDonnell, Secretary & Treasurer, Cambridge, MA Caroline Mortimer, Vice-Chair, Cambridge, MA
Graduate Student Interns Learn about Archives in Mount Auburn’s Historical Collections / 12
Honorary Trustee of the Friends
Experiencing Roberto Mighty’s earth.sky / 14
Susan W. Paine, Cambridge The Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery was established in 1986 to assist in the conservation of the Cemetery’s natural beauty and to promote the appreciation of its cultural, historic, and natural resources. Organized in 1990 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable trust, the Friends seeks financial support from its members, other individuals, foundations, corporations, and public agencies. It receives gifts for educational and interpretive programs and materials for the public, specific cultural projects, and operating support for horticultural rejuvenation and the preservation of the historic monuments, structures, and archival artifacts and records.The Friends has over 1,300 active members.
Toasting A Treasure: A Celebration of the Binney Monument / 15 People & Happenings / 16 Volunteer Highlight: Rosemarie Smurzynski / 18 Remembering Herbert Watson Pratt / 19 Did You Know? / 20 Increasing Access and Enabling Scholarship: More than 31,000 Historic Records Digitized in 2015 / 21 Upcoming Events / Back Cover
See more online at www.mountauburn.org 2 | Sweet Auburn
Since our founding in 1831, Mount Auburn has been a place of beauty and tranquility designed to accommodate the burial and commemoration of the deceased while also providing comfort and inspiration to the living. At the time, this was a bold new concept, and the huge success of Mount Auburn inspired the Rural Cemetery movement, which spread rapidly across the country. In the past year, Mount Auburn’s staff and Trustees have been engaged in a long-term strategic planning process, and as part of that effort we revisited our mission statement. We believe that our “core purpose” is still very much what our founders envisioned and that the new statement reflects this continuity: “Mount Auburn Cemetery inspires all who visit, comforts the bereaved, and commemorates the dead in a landscape of exceptional beauty.” Mount Auburn is today both an active cemetery and a vibrant cultural organization, and to remain such we must continue to plan for the future and embrace innovation. The first article in this issue of Sweet Auburn describes a number of ambitious projects underway near our entrance gates, designed to improve the visitor experience and “inspire all who visit.” Throughout this issue you will see examples of how Mount Auburn comforts and inspires its visitors.Voices of the younger generation are heard in essay responses to Mount Auburn written by Watertown High School students (pp. 4–8). Our Artist-in-Residence Roberto Mighty (p. 9) and our long-time friend and artist Clare Walker Leslie (pp. 10–11) have opened our eyes to the beauty of the Cemetery landscape in many new ways, and we are pleased to be increasingly attracting young families to the grounds. Graduate students from Simmons College work with our fabulous archives every year under the tutelage of Curator of Historical Collections Meg Winslow, and we hear from this year’s interns (pp. 12–13). Finally, this spring we completed the conservation of the monument honoring Dr. Amos Binney, our most historically significant work of art, with a celebration amid April’s flowering trees (pp. 15).This project was made possible due to contributed funds, and we are grateful that so many foundations and individuals continue to be inspired to support our preservation and landscape improvement efforts. I hope to see you out in the beautiful Mount Auburn landscape.
photo by Jennifer johnston
President’s Corner
David P. Barnett President & CEO
Summer 2015 | 1
Improving Mount Auburn’s Entry Experience for our Visitors By Bree Harvey, Vice President of Cemetery & Visitor Services and David Barnett, President & CEO
Visitors to Mount Auburn Cemetery this spring, summer and fall will undoubtedly notice an unusual amount of work activity as they enter our gates. As part of our long-term plan to improve the visitor experience as one first enters Mount Auburn, we are carrying out a number of integrated projects designed to both improve the functionality and preserve the historic character of this area. Our vision for the “front entry precinct” includes: • A more welcoming entry, with clear orientation tools to assist visitors and clients from the moment they arrive on the grounds; • Improved vehicular and pedestrian access, making travel through this area safer and more convenient; • The preservation of our historically-significant structures; and • An enhanced landscape that highlights the strength and breadth of Mount Auburn’s horticultural collections and high standards of excellence. Much of this work has been made possible by contributed support received through the Friends of Mount Auburn.
We are fortunate to have received a grant of $130,000 from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund, which we are working to match with additional private gifts, for the preservation of our Egyptian Revival Gatehouse and adjoining cast-iron fence. The first phase of work will be the preservation of the iron fence and gate this summer, with restoration of the Gatehouse planned for 2016. We initiated the facelift to the front entry area this spring with the removal of overgrown plantings surrounding the Administration Building. Prior to replanting, soil was excavated in order to correct problems with soil drainage and moisture seepage into the building. Broken drainage pipes were replaced, a fabric moisture barrier was installed, and improved soil was brought in. We are working with Landscape Architect Craig Halvorson to install a new landscape of low shrubs and perennials, with a few specimen trees and Victorian-style planters, that more appropriately displays the historic building and directs families and clients to the cemetery services office. At the same time, we are updating the interior space where our cemetery services staff meets with families.
Adminstration Building, April 8, 2015.Though we try to provide a welcoming environment for families and visitors, overgrown plantings surrounding our Administration Building had made it hard to even find our front door.
2 | Sweet Auburn
Work will continue along the west side of the Administration Building this summer with the repointing and cleaning of the exterior façade. Soil will then be excavated to improve moisture seepage problems, and finally additional groundcovers and low shrubs will be installed to visually connect the landscape to the plantings in front of Story Chapel. The new entrance to Story Chapel, erected in 2012 and made possible by funding from another Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund grant, has worked very well to create a more ceremonial entrance for this multi-functional building that hosts memorial services and public programs and serves as our Visitors Center. We are particularly excited to be implementing this summer, because of a significant private gift, the next phase of our “visitor entry experience improvements” with the installation of a pathway connecting Story Chapel to Asa Gray Garden. The path, with associated seating areas, will provide a clear visual and functional connection between the Chapel and Asa Gray Garden while separating pedestrians from vehicles at this busy and confusing intersection. Concurrently with this pathway connector project, we will be working behind the scenes to finalize design details of the long-planned renovation to Asa Gray Garden, which we hope to implement during the summer of 2016. The renovation will include improved vehicular circulation and parking, an enlarged fountain centerpiece, and a beautiful
garden worthy of our storied history and designed to make a great “first impression.” In the nineteenth century, during the height of Mount Auburn’s popularity, the entrance was one of the Cemetery’s most iconic and celebrated features. Guidebooks wrote poetically about our Egyptian Revival Gateway and commented on the change of mood and scene that could be observed immediately upon entering through the impressive granite structure. In the late nineteenth century, visitors were greeted with ornate plantings and displays of exotic specimens along Central Avenue and within the Lawn (renamed Asa Gray Garden in the 1930s). In 1898, Mount Auburn completed the construction of the Administration Building and Story Chapel complex to meet the needs of late-nineteenth century visitors and clients. Today our goals are to recreate this celebrated historic character while improving the entry experience for all who enter Mount Auburn – whether it be clients and families seeking assistance at their time of need from staff in the Administration Building, or visitors seeking information from self-serve information racks or the interactive kiosk in our Gatehouse, or from staff and volunteers at our Visitors Center. We apologize for the temporary disruption at our entrance, but we are confident that it will all be worth it. Follow the status of these projects!
Administration Building, May 29, 2015. A newly installed, more inviting landscape now welcomes families and visitors
Inspiring the Next Generation Mount Auburn’s many visitors find inspiration in various aspects of our landscape. For some, it is our abundant wildlife; for others, it might be the horticultural collections or stories of those now buried at the Cemetery. How do our younger visitors identify with this special place? As part of our effort to serve our neighboring communities, Mount Auburn has reached out to partner with local schools. We have this year established an annual essay contest for Watertown High School students. Mount Auburn asked members of the school’s English and Writing Club to respond to the following question: Mount Auburn was created to “console the bereaved and inspire the living in a setting of great natural beauty.” In what ways is this still true today? In what ways does Mount Auburn inspire you? Interested students visited the Cemetery, where volunteer docents and members of the staff helped them explore the many facets of Mount Auburn, from its avian migrants to its memorials to its tree collection. Using material from their field trip, thirteen students contributed essays for consideration, each a personal, creative, and unique response to the Cemetery. A review panel consisting of staff, volunteers, and members of the Cemetery’s Education & Outreach Committee selected three students’ essays for publication in this magazine. In addition to seeing their essays in print, these students will each receive a small cash prize in recognition of their accomplishment. Special thanks to Watertown High School English Teacher Malcolm Cooke for working with us to develop this year’s contest and to Mount Auburn volunteer docents Nancy Callan, Stephen Pinkerton, and Rosemarie Smurzynski for sharing their own enthusiasm about the Cemetery with these young writers.
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The Tower Destiny Santalucia, Grade 9
“Can we go climb the towe r? Can we, can we, can we?!” squealed little six-year-old me, bouncing up and down. Climbing the tower at Mount Auburn was a spring tradition I used to have with my Dad. I vaguely remember little snippets of memories from back then. Even though I hadn’t been to the tower, or really the cemetery, in years, I drove by the wrought-iron fence and main stone archway several times a week. I would drive by not knowing how much history is contained behind that gate, behind the fence. I would drive by and catch little glimpses of headstones and statues between the trees. But I never knew. I never knew that the archway was designed in an Egyptian style. I never knew that there were two chapels inside. I never knew that this one area contained over 600 different types of trees. I never knew how many famous and notable people are buried there. Not until recently, that is, when I returned to the cemetery for the first time in years. By just driving by you can’t see the true beauty of the cemetery; you have to go inside to see the beautifully carved memorials and headstones and the breathtaking foliage. There aren’t many places where you can see such an enormous collection of nature and history as in Mount Auburn. As a young child I didn’t realize these things or fully appreciate them. But now I do, now I realize. I realize how important it is to keep teaching people history. Without those innovations made by people in the past, where would we be today?
So many people in this cemetery have made a difference. They discovered things, wrote poems and books, invented things that have made an impact on our lives today. Poets, engineers, writers, politicians, religious leaders, artists, botanists, and many more. When I visited this March, one particular man’s story stood out to me.This man had invented the idea of a postal service. Can you imagine what it would be like to not receive mail every day? Would modern ways of sending mail, such as email, even exist if this man hadn’t thought of mail? How would we communicate? So many others like this man came up with ideas that influenced the world, past time periods, the modern world, people’s ways of life, and they are buried here in Mount Auburn. These people fought in wars, won battles, created history. We can’t just forget about them. We’d be nowhere without them. The best way to learn history isn’t by reading a textbook, memorizing dates and names, or listening to a teacher lecture you. The best way is to go and see it with your own eyes, to experience it. There are different ways of doing this—going to museums, visiting landmarks—but one that many people don’t even consider is a cemetery. Why go to a stuffy dark museum, when you can go outside, get fresh air, even some exercise? Cemeteries have earned a scary reputation, but most people don’t realize how beautiful they can be.You’re not just surrounded by the dead, you’re surrounded by the past, by history. They’re not just for mourning loved ones. We learn things from the past, we learn from mistakes others have made. If we don’t keep learning about them, then they may happen again. People get inspired by others, living and dead, so let’s keep inspiring them. Summer 2015 | 5
Humanity Complicates Death Stella Varnum, Grade 10
Humanity complicate s death. Scie ntifically, death is simple.You are here, and then you are not. Death is not beautiful, nor is it sad. It is just part of being alive. But humanity fears death. It is inevitable, inescapable, and in death, there is true equality. We lie to ourselves. We create beautiful places to be buried, erect stones “to last centuries,� and spread ashes to free the soul. We humans go through these motions, these patterns, these rituals to find closure in death. Still, at the end of it all, death is what scientists proclaim it to be; a state of non-being. The monuments erode, the beautiful gardens decompose, and eventually every single person in every single grave around the globe will be forgotten. I look at a cemetery and see a sad, fruitless last effort for humans to control their fate and somehow influence their afterlife. However, a cemetery isn’t a place for dead people. It is a place for the living. This is why I appreciate Mount Auburn Cemetery. I have no relatives, friends, or anyone of great importance resting there, yet I feel an emotional connection to it. It is a beautiful place full of art and inspiration for anyone to explore and enjoy. Many times my brother and I have found joy in the natural serenity of the cemetery. I remember one such trip started with a walk on a silent winter day.
6 | Sweet Auburn
The tracks imprinted in the snow resurrected a thrilling chase long over and done with. Graceful rabbit prints, suddenly intercepted by the menacing paws of a coyote. The scene rose to existence in my thoughts. The rabbit trundles along, his motions relaxed, lethargic even. Periodically, he twitches his nose, and gazes at the surrounding hills and valleys, all bone white. Suddenly he becomes a frozen statue, and his whiskers begin to tremble. The snowy fur of his body, which is a perfect camouflage, quivers.Violently, he springs to life, leaping into motion. Darting between the snow-dusted bushes, a coyote emerges. Her feet fly over the ground, and two heart rates accelerate, both frantic and half-crazed. The snow muffles the sounds of this race. The animals twist and turn about the gardens and trees, until it all finishes in a scrambling pile of flesh and teeth.Then it is over.The rabbit, once there, is now gone. I follow the tracks, which weave about gravestones and through shrubbery. Finally I come to a place where they abruptly stop.The snow is mussed up all around me, evidence of a violent struggle. But there are no tracks leading away, neither coyote nor hare. There is no blood and no scattered fur. Was any of it real? I ask myself. This story describes one adventure I embarked upon in the cemetery. Accompanied by my mom and brother, I traced the flight of a rabbit. But we never found the end of the tracks. It was the perfect metaphor in my mind. Death feeding life, surrounded by death. I thought of my place in the cemetery, and the world. The death of all these people has brought me a place of beauty, a place to be inquisitive and thoughtful. I am thankful to have grown up associating death with the beauty and growth found in Mount Auburn Cemetery. Death is not so terrifying when it is associated with groves of trees, quiet walks, and peaceful skies.
Mount Auburn Dylan Fulton, Grade 11
To every life, the re is a beg inning, middle, and end. All lives, all the different stories, end the same. They end with death, the equalizer. Their souls go somewhere beyond, while their loved ones wait, mourning, until their reunion. In the meantime, their graves act as an intermediary between the passed and the living. Their graves are placed among their deceased brethren in cities of the dead, the cemeteries. Love is the strongest human emotion, but even love bows down to death. Death is the only force strong enough to break the bonds of love. Death is one of the strongest forces known to man, but it is far from invincible. For death only kills the body, not the name. The living hold onto the names and, in an effort to protect them, honor the names of the deceased in their tombs, their crypts, their eternal beds, in cities of the dead. To break the bonds of love’s camaraderie is to evoke a pure sadness. Being the breaker of love, death leaves sadness in its wake. It is natural, then, that our views and representation of death reflect that sadness. The cities in which we place our dead are often void of happiness. These somber cities are coated in gray, but not a gray of cities, nor the gray of granite markers. No, this is the gray of emptiness, a fog of sadness. The green of grass, even rainbow of bouquets, are dulled in these dead metropolises. They become more of a place of sadness, and lose their purpose of remembering the deceased. The living, not being fans of sadness, avoid these
lifeless towns. The dead stay unvisited, and die their second death, a death from being forgotten. There are countless numbers who have succumbed to their second death, all lined up in neat little rows. We must respect the dead and death, lest we too die twice. With such goals in mind, we must take seriously the idea of death, which often permeates the air with sadness and discomfort, both of which are unpleasant to the living. As such, the places we create to honor and remember the dead do the opposite, and only serve as a dumping ground for the bodies. It is clear then, that a balance is needed, a place that will honor the dead but will also leave the living uplifted. It was this goal that illuminated the hearts and minds of a few wise citizens from an early Massachusetts. They brought life to a place of death, so that members of both existences can enjoy. Those wise men were the founders of Mount Auburn Cemetery. For there is no other cemetery in the continent, or even the world, that can hold a candle to it. To even call it a cemetery is to undermine its true beauty. It is, as it has always been, a place of rejuvenation and of final rest. In Mount Auburn, death and its sadness is not the dominant emotion. No, for the rolling hills do not allow for the fog of sadness to settle. The gray emptiness cannot mask the hues and colors from the flora that inhabit this land. It is in Mount Auburn that life plays an equal part, if Summer 2015 | 7
not a greater one, than death itself. It has let nature give its healing gifts. Trees of all shapes and sizes are ubiquitous in the area. In the summer, the trees form a canopy from their leaves, shielding the dead from light that would disturb their slumber. In autumn, the trees paint a mosaic with their leaves, dedicated to the resting and viewable to the living. With their masterpieces complete, they shed their leaves to give the dead a blanket of oranges, golds, and reds for the winter. Though they may be barren and lifeless, they adopt the snow onto their branches, to reflect the purity of the heavens back onto those who have passed. Then spring comes and the trees are reborn, the bloom of flowers colors the cemetery and gives hope to the living. It is the loving embrace of our mother, of Nature, that consoles those who enter Mount Auburn. To see their slumbering loved ones in a place of such life illuminates their hearts. The wooden guardians reassure and embrace the bereaved. The feathered and furry fairies that live inside them amaze and astound them, creatures free of worry and despair despite living in a city of the dead. Those who come to Mount Auburn to honor their loved ones leave reborn themselves, happy that those dear to them rest peacefully. There are, however, those who come for a different reason. They are attracted to the beauty of the land. They come to see the wings of angels and of winged creatures, and watch them soar with the souls of the departed. They come to inspect the dryads that watch over their deceased loved ones, to see how they enshrine the dead. Seeing their devotion to the sleeping souls, the visitors are compelled to join, and even honor the dead that do not belong among their kinsmen. Mount Auburn is a place of rest. A place where one can rest one’s mind and leave rejuvenated and reborn, and a place to rest the soul. A place where trees take care of the dead, and bring consolation the living. Where the flapping of wings belonging to both birds and angels can be heard. A place so inspiring that those buried there achieve a kind of immortality. Those buried there are remembered forever, cared for by the trees. The wooden immortal, the great Sequoia, stands tall, ready to lead its brethren and their future generations in their duty. To care for the dead, and to console the living. Read excerpts from all 13 student essays. 8 | Sweet Auburn
Stories Behind the Stones: Memorable Encounters By Roberto Mighty, Artist-in-Residence 2014 –2017
As Mount Auburn’s first Artist-in-Re side nce, I am permitted to roam the grounds at all hours of the day and night. Let’s get this out of the way right now: none of my experiences so far would qualify as undeniably supernatural. I’ve found myself in a staring contest with a coyote; gobbled at by territorial tom turkeys, and under the inscrutable but not unkind scrutiny of a Great Horned Owl. Speaking of avians, there was that stare-down with a Red-Tailed Hawk on the shore of Willow Pond. Its cold gaze made me feel, for the first time in my life, like someone else’s dinner.Yikes. But my most memorable face-to-face encounters are with bipedal visitors who notice the elaborate motion camera rigs I sometimes use to get special shots of monuments and landscapes.These meetings often involve the person stopping, staring, maintaining a respectful distance, and then, throwing caution to the winds, marching right up and asking: “So… whatcha doin’?” Although it’s tempting to come back with something like, “trying to find my mobile phone,” I generally reply with a brief, straight explanation of my role here. This is when the fun begins. Because, just under the surface of many Mount Auburn visitors, there is a generous, knowledgeable fan who wants to share their favorite monument, flower, tree, story, or vista. I welcome these impromptu teaching sessions and enjoy learning from people, some of whom have been strolling or hiking around the cemetery for as long as I’ve been alive! One day I was approached by a woman who passionately assured me that a certain young man from Wayland was buried somewhere at Mount Auburn. She knew his name and the year of his interment: 1859. Her excitement led me to investigate further. Meg Winslow, Curator of Historical Collections, helped with an online and a manual records search (there are over 98,000 people interred here). That search turned up the lot number on Harvard Hill, a contemporary newsletter article, and other information. The visitor later returned with a distant relative of the deceased. To our wonderment, they brought with them an array of original historical documents, some yellowed and crumbling, from as far back as the eighteenth century. This inspired me to continue researching and to make an artistic multimedia piece about the life and times of Edward Thomas Damon, a medical student at what would come to be called Harvard Medical School. He died of smallpox on November 30, 1859, at age 24. It seems he knowingly exposed himself to the dread disease while tending patients at a sanatorium in Boston Harbor. The inspiring story of his sacrifice made me think of the doctors, nurses, and medical workers from Boston, Africa, and all
Photo of new media artist Roberto Mighty by KGH, promotional image for earth.sky a multi-media installation about Mount Auburn combining film, voice and music, monument erected to the memory of Edward Thomas Damon by his friends and fellow Harvard Medical Student classmates.
over the world who risk their lives to help victims of the modern-day scourge of Ebola. If you see me, camera in hand, working intently along the paths, please do not hesitate to interrupt whatever I’m doing and tell me about your favorite place at Mount Auburn. Thanks in advance for your help. Learn more about Edward Damon in the earth.sky exhibit online. Summer 2015 | 9
by Clare Walker Leslie For many years I have had the good fortune to live near enough to Mount Auburn Cemetery that it has become a wonderful place for my own wildlife watching, teaching, artistic creativity, moments of quiet, as well as for family explorations. My parents are both buried here. My granddaughter considers this her “Nature Place.” When recovering recently from surgery, here is where I walked as the lanes were plowed and the silence healing. My books on nature and drawing are illustrated with my journal pages from here. Many people write me from far away saying they now know about this place of reflection and beauty.
Illustrations by Clare Walker Leslie. Photographs by Clare Walker Leslie (top) and Nicole Correia (bottom).
Through the Seasons in Mount Auburn
Artist, naturalist and educator Clare Walker Leslie has been recording observations of Mount Auburn in her nature journals since 1974. Her illustrations of Mount Auburn are featured in two Friends’ publications, Birds and Birding at Mount Auburn and our new Family Nature Guide. She can often be found exploring Mount Auburn with her family. Learn more about Clare: www.clarewalkerleslie.com.
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Graduate Student Interns Learn About Archives in Mount Auburn’s Historical Collections By Amanda Baker and Erin Butler
Every fall and spring, Mount Auburn’s Historical Collections Department hosts a graduate student internship from the Simmons College School of Library and Information Science. The internship is a part of the Introduction to Archival Services course, which is the first step for students concentrating in archives. The interns learn the ropes of archival processing by helping to preserve the Cemetery’s Lot Correspondence files. The information contained in these files assists the operations of the Cemetery every day. Documents in the files may include lot work orders, planting plans, monument plans, genealogical information, and correspondence with families through many generations. Many of the documents in the Lot Correspondence files are quite old and fragile, and proper safeguarding of these valuable documents ensures that the information will remain accessible to the office staff and families for years to come. 12 | Sweet Auburn
This fall, there are so many new archives graduate students at Simmons that Mount Auburn hosted two of us: Erin Butler and Amanda Baker. We offered to interview each other about our experiences with this internship. Amanda: What made you choose Mount Auburn for your Archives internship? Erin: When I was growing up, I was a huge fan of the book series “A Series of Unfortunate Events” by Lemony Snicket. It fostered a fascination with things that some might consider morbid. I loved that the series talked about danger, death, and misfortune in honest and open terms, because it completely challenged the conventions of what was proper to talk about. When I saw Mount Auburn on the list of possible internships, I immediately thought back to this early interest in the “morbid.” I wondered, what sorts of records are kept in a cemetery archives? How
Graduate student interns Amanda Baker (left) and Erin Butler (right) processing lot correspondence files, Fall 2014.
are they respected, both in terms of honoring the dead and preserving the documents themselves? Who are the people charged with preserving these records, and how do they handle that responsibility? These questions were so interesting to me that I listed Mount Auburn as my top choice. Furthermore, as a writer I found the poetic and thematic implications of working in a cemetery quite tantalizing. Erin: What has surprised you most about the collections at Mount Auburn? Amanda: I think what surprised me most was the thoroughness of the records. Each lot file contains every instance of communication between the cemetery and the family that owns the plot. The correspondence holds answers to larger questions, such as who bought the lot and when, and who has rights to interment there—but it also covers smaller interactions such as the planting or removal of shrubs, or the permitted size of a headstone’s foundation. I’ve learned just how important the small details can be. The work order for a petunia planting in the 1920s is an important document, setting a precedent for the upkeep of that particular lot. Amanda: What is the coolest thing you found in the lot correspondence collections? Erin: Some of the files have had newspaper clippings of obituaries for the people buried in the lots, and it has been neat to look at those. Most often, there is an obituary for someone who has done something noteworthy, so it has been interesting to think about how someone’s life is summed up after death. In terms of individual records, the most interesting one I found was probably a copy of a will that dated back to the mid-1800s. Erin: Based on your experiences, what is one thing you wish everyone knew about cemetery archives? Amanda: These records are incredible sources of family history. The letters testify to the personalities of the people who wrote them, regardless of their subject matter. They
come on all manner of stationery, from stately company letterhead to tiny handwritten notecards and anything in between. Sometimes I pick up a handwritten letter and think about how amazing it would feel for a member of that person’s family to read it. Amanda: What skills from this internship do you think will be the most useful to you in your future career? Erin: I learned a great deal here about intelligent and informed but subjective decision-making. Little unique problems tend to show up in the archives, and they require careful decisions on the part of the archivist. Sometimes I have been so afraid of making the wrong decision that it has impacted my ability to actually make the decision. In watching that process at Mount Auburn, however, I have been struck by the fact that every decision is fully thought out and backed up with logical reasoning, with many alternatives considered. I believe that now, with the proper training I would be able to make the decisions that would be best for my institution. Erin: How do you plan to apply the skills you have learned at Mount Auburn to future archives? Amanda: I’ve learned a lot about the care and keeping of fragile paper records: what types of paper stand the test of time, what kinds of paper are era-specific, and that staples rust relatively quickly. My hope is to go into document conservation, so I imagine I’ll be using those skills pretty frequently. I’ve also gained insight into how an archive decides what to keep, how, and why. Seeing this inside the Mount Auburn collections makes me feel that, wherever I end up after my degree, I will have the tools I need to make those important choices. Working on the Lot Correspondence files at Mount Auburn has been an incredible experience for both of us, and we come away with a much better idea of what it takes to work in an archival environment. At the same time, we’ve been able to make an impact on the Cemetery’s records that will last for years to come.
Are you a graduate student, archivist, or cataloguer interested in working on a project at Mount Auburn Cemetery? For further information about internships in the Historical Collections Department, please contact Meg L. Winslow, Curator of Historical Collections at 617-607-1942 or mwinslow@mountauburn.org
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People and Happenings Roberto Mighty’s earth.sky installation By Jenny Gilbert, Senior Gifts Officer
On a snowy February morning, I we nt to the studio of filmmaker and new media artist Roberto Mighty to preview earth.sky, a multimedia installation that was to be shown at Story Chapel during Cambridge Open Studios weekend, May 9–10. I wasn’t sure quite what to expect. I had been working with Roberto for the past year on fundraising for his residency at Mount Auburn, making sure that he had the resources he needed to continue producing film Roberto’s work does much to further Mount Auburn’s and multimedia inspired by his time at the Cemetery. I had new mission to “inspire all who visit, comfort the bereaved, already seen several of the short films Mighty had created: and commemorate the dead in a landscape of exceptional each two- to four-minute piece focused on a person interred beauty.” Today, historic cemeteries have the dual purpose at Mount Auburn, using their own words and images of of serving the bereaved and acting as cultural institutions their monument in an emotionally and visually engaging in their communities. In the nineteenth century, rural way. I was curious to see how Mighty would pull these cemeteries were celebrated as visitor destinations and were diverse subjects together into a single statement. well-known for their collections of art and horticultural earth.sky, a multi-screen presentation 52 minutes in length, specimens. In the early twentieth century, however, museums starts with the story of Peter Byus, a fugitive slave from and public parks became the primary places where Virginia who escaped to Massachusetts. His story is told Americans explored art and communed with the natural using his will, a document that highlighted both the world, and many cemeteries narrowed monumental injustice of slavery and their focus, often becoming solely the humanity of Byus, it leaves a places to bury and commemorate the bequest for his brother, who was still dead. But in the last decades of the held in bondage in the South. Following twentieth century, Mount Auburn Byus’ story, Mighty’s film showed Mount renewed its commitment to serving as Auburn’s landscape in the winter. a community resource and has become Music enhanced beautiful images of the national leader among historic fast-falling snow as it swirled around cemeteries in its role as a cultural Mount Auburn’s monuments. destination, educator, and steward. In earth.sky, short narrative films Mighty’s artist residency—the first of are intercut with recurring motifs its kind at a cemetery—is yet another of the elements earth, air, sky, and contribution to this effort. water. These “interludes” capture the The Friends of Mount Auburn stunning beauty of Mount Auburn. Cemetery is grateful to the funders Whether we see snow piling up into who have supported Roberto Mighty’s the clasped hand of a monument, residency: the Institute of Museum a Great Blue Heron taking flight and Library Services, the Anthony J. over Auburn Lake, or the sound and & Mildred D. Ruggiero Memorial sights of wind rushing through the Trust, the Cambridge Arts Council landscape, the moments of beauty and Watertown Cultural Council, and are ephemeral yet profound. the Preservation Fund for Eastern Jenny Gilbert and Roberto Mighty (above, Mighty’s films also delve into modern Massachusetts of the National Trust right). Lilian Hsu, whose family is featured in stories, using contemporary interviews earth.sky at the premiere in May (above, center). for Historic Preservation. to profile people more recently buried Although the exhibition in Story at Mount Auburn. Mighty illuminates Chapel was temporary, you can view the diversity of individuals interred at the Cemetery and an online preview of earth.sky on Mount Auburn’s website. the impact—whether great or small—of their lives. He Explore the earthy.sky online exhibit to experience powerfully demonstrates the value of memorialization and Mount Auburn through Roberto Mighty’s eyes. memory in our society.
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People and Happenings Toasting A Treasure: A Celebration of the Binney Monument On Sunday afternoon, April 26, 2015, art lovers and art historians joined trustees and friends of Mount Auburn at the Binney Lot on Heath Path to celebrate the conservation of a National Treasure, the large marble monument to physician Amos Binney created by sculptor Thomas Crawford in 1847-50. Gus Fraser,Vice President of Preservation & Facilities, welcomed the gathering in Bigelow Chapel and introduced Meg L. Winslow, Curator of Historical Collections, who spoke about the significance of the monument. President Dave Barnett gave a champagne toast followed by the ribbon cutting. Considered by many to be the finest work of funerary art of its time, the Binney Monument had deteriorated dramatically over time. Its marble surface was covered with lichen, moss, and soil accretions. Severe weathering had eroded the monument, creating a fragile, “sugary” surface, threatening the artistic integrity of the sculpture. Mount Auburn’s preservation staff first had to stabilize the monument and repair the large granite stones at its base. Conservators from the private restoration firm Daedalus, Inc. then washed and pointed the marble surface, repaired breaks in the stone, and applied consolidant to strengthen the entire sculpture. Today, the monument has been restored to the creamy white color of the original Italian Carrara marble and the sculptor’s signature, previously hidden by soil and biological growth, is once again visible. To further protect the monument and enhance the beauty of the lot, Mount Auburn’s horticultural staff designed a stone walkway and planted the lot with low groundcover. This landmark conservation project was made possible by a generous gift and is part of a larger grant-funded program awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (MA-30-13-0533-13) for documentation and interpretation of the Cemetery’s most significant monuments. “For many years, it has been a dream of ours to conserve this beautiful work of art, which is why today is so special,” Winslow said in gratitude. “This critical conservation work, so urgently needed, has preserved and stabilized a national treasure whose narrative, meaning, and symbolism, future generations will now be able to appreciate.” Further information about the monument and the preservation project can be found online Photos(top to bottom):Vice President of Preservation & Facilities Gus Fraser describes the project.President Dave Barnett raises a toast to the conservation of the Binney Monument.Trustee Widgie Aldrich, Ron Barbagallo, and President Emeritus Bill Clendaniel. Curator of Historical Collections Meg Winslow (center) celebrates with art historian Ruth Butler and Binney family descendent Nathalie Binney. Summer 2015 | 15
People and Happenings Remembering the Armenian Genocide On Saturday, April 25th over 50 people attended “The Armenians of Mount Auburn Cemetery” walking tour led by Stephen Pinkerton, Friends of Mount Auburn Docent, Marc A. Mamigonian, Director of Academic Affairs, National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), Belmont, MA and Ruth Thomasian, Founder and CEO, Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives, Inc., Watertown, MA. The tour explored the history of the Armenian community centered in Watertown and Belmont through stories of selected former area residents interred at Mount Auburn.
Birders Meeting
Family Nature Celebration On Friday, April 24th the Friends of Mount Auburn and Belmont Savings Bank hosted local families at the Cemetery to celebrate Arbor Day and the return of spring with child-friendly naturethemed activities like sketching and nature hikes. Participants also received copies of our new “Mount Auburn Family Nature Guide.” Written and illustrated by naturalist and educator Clare Walker Leslie, the guide was made possible with generous support from the Belmont Savings Bank Foundation. 16 | Sweet Auburn
On Saturday, March 7th Dave Barnett spoke to an audience of over 300 attendees at the 23rd annual Mass Audubon Birders Meeting, held at Bentley University in Waltham, MA. The theme of this year’s meeting was Managing for Birds, with a focus on managing landscapes as an important part of bird conservation. Dave spoke to a highly receptive crowd on “Respecting Birds, People, and History at Mount Auburn Cemetery,” about some of the changes made over the past 20 years to Mount Auburn’s landscape to improve wildlife habitat while also preserving its historic character and respecting its status as an active cemetery, and about some of the challenges of managing an urban multi-use human landscape with avian habitat in mind.
People and Happenings On Sunday, March 22nd Mount Auburn Cemetery Volunteer Docent Carol Harper gave an encore presentation of her “Passport to Père Lachaise” program for the Friends of Hope Cemetery at the Worcester Historical Museum in Worcester, MA. Invited by the Friends of Hope Cemetery, President Anne “Cookie” Nelson and Vice President Brenda Sullivan, the audience included William Wallace, Executive Director of the Worcester Historical Museum, who hosted the event. With an audience of about 40 people, a lovely reception of wine and hors d’oeuvres followed during which a lively conversation about Paris’s renowned garden cemetery Père Lachaise ensued.
Business as Usual, Despite Record Snow Despite the record-breaking winter with 110 inches of snow, the hard-working Mount Auburn staff kept our 11 miles of roads plowed and the Cemetery open for business, and performed 100 interments during the months of January, February and March.
This spring, the Education & Visitor Services department welcomed a high-school intern from the Community Charter School of Cambridge. Isaiah Santil, shown here at the CCSC Senior Internship Exhibition Night on May 28th, completed a 100-hour internship as part of his requirements for graduation. While at the Cemetery, Isaiah photographed trees from our collections and compiled interesting facts about a number of specimens that would be of interest to younger visitors. We plan to use some of his hard work to create child- and teen-friendly tours within our new mobile app, which is now in development.
On May 16th friends and neighbors joined Mount Auburn staff and biologists from the Grassroots Wildlife Conservation to check traps set in the various ponds of the Cemetery and to learn about the diversity of wildlife that is thriving in this urban refuge. Grassroots Wildlife Conservation has been conducting an inventory of the amphibians, reptiles, and fish that live at Mount Auburn this spring as part of the cemetery’s Wildlife Action Plan. To learn more about the project, visit www.grassrootswildlife.org
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People and Happenings
Volunteer Profile: Rosemarie Smurzynski By Jennifer Johnston, Webmaster, Media & Imaging Coordinator
Volunteer Rosemarie Smurzynski has been visiting Mount Auburn Cemetery for nearly three decades. She vividly remembers some of the earliest Friends’walking tours in the early 1990s led by Janet Heywood, former Vice President of Interpretive Programs, and by a very young David Barnett, then Director of Horticulture and today the Cemetery’s President. She also recalls volunteering at Mount Auburn’s booth at the New England Flower Show some 25 years ago, before the Cemetery even had an official volunteer program. It is the original vision of the Cemetery—as a place of repose for loved ones who have died and a place of comfort for those who mourn— that continues to resonate with Rosemarie. If time-travel were an option, she says, she would love to attend the Cemetery’s Consecration Ceremony, September 24, 1831, to hear the moving address of Judge Joseph Story, which outlined not just an intellectual vision but also the great importance of creating a landscape of exceptional beauty in which future generations could find solace. Her previous careers—briefly as a fifth- and sixth-grade teacher and then as a Unitarian Universalist Minister—(she graduated from Harvard Divinity School in 1980, and was ordained in 1981) prepared her well for volunteer work at the Cemetery, sharing the stories of Mount Auburn with visitors of all ages and being present and compassionate while teaching and listening. Since becoming a volunteer docent in 2010, Rosemarie has led numerous public programs at the Cemetery, was a member of the Margaret Fuller Bicentennial Committee celebrating the birth of Fuller in 1810, and led tours for visiting Unitarian Universalists as well as students from local high schools. Her programs encompass a wide-range of themes: from mothers, symbols, poets, to angels, monument symbolism, public lots, and, most notably over the last four years of its sesquicentennial, the Civil War. Stories of courage, honor, and sacrifice uncovered during her preparation for tours on the Abolitionists of Boston, the Battle of the Wilderness, and the Battle of Fredericksburg 18 | Sweet Auburn
affected her deeply. Like characters in Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage, one of her favorite books growing up, she believes that Union soldiers “still inspire us to this day to live and to live for what we believe.” For Rosemarie as for many others, the monuments of Mount Auburn tell stories of once-vibrant lives. Some of our residents were legendary public figures, while others may only have been missed by a few family members. She cites, for example, the epitaph of “M. W. B,” in the St James Public Lot which illustrates her story:“She lived unknown, and few would know, / when Mary ceased to be,/ But she is in her grave— /And oh! the difference to me.” Says Rosemarie, “Mount Auburn is an important place to realize the value of one’s own life as someone in the future may stand in the exact place where you are standing today and that might even be in front of your future grave.” In travels with Tom (photo above, center), her husband of over 50 years, they often visit cemeteries, reading the international language of symbols on monuments in cities from Warsaw to Rome, Florence, London, and Paris. Such visits have enriched her understanding of the symbols used at Mount Auburn, which can unlock the meaning of subtle narrative threads running through the Cemetery. In addition to leading tours and programs, Rosemarie has a regular Friday shift at Mount Auburn’s Visitors Center and she has spoken at the Cemetery’s 2014 Candle Lighting Ceremony and the 2012 Service of Commemoration. Rosemarie loves history. She is a member of the Boston Athenaeum, Historic New England and The Massachusetts Historical Society where she often attends events. She and her husband Tom are parents of a son, Ken, married to Susan, a daughter, Marlene, and the grandparents of two girls. From time to time Rosemarie officiates at memorial and graveside services to commemorate the dead.
People and Happenings
Remembering
Herbert Watson Pratt Mount Auburn Cemetery Trustee 1970-2000, Honorary Trustee 2000-2015 An ardent conservationist and lifelong birder, Herbert Pratt had a longstanding relationship with Mount Auburn Cemetery. His grandfather, Charles H. Watson, was a Cemetery Trustee from 1900 to 1910. Following in these footsteps, Herb served as a Trustee from 1970 to 2000, and an Honorary Trustee from 2000 to 2015. He was also an Honorary Director for Massachusetts Audubon Society. He died on February 23, 2015, at the age of 91. In 1938, when Herb was 15 years old, a friend told him that Mount Auburn was a great place to go birdwatching. In the years that followed, Herb and his birding friends spent many hours roaming the Cemetery, learning from renowned ornithologists and biologists such as Ludlow Griscom and Ernst Mayr. As Laura Johnson, President Emerita of Mass Audubon and Trustee Emerita of Mount Auburn Cemetery, remembered, “Herb always got a chuckle out of telling stories about sneaking into the cemetery as a young man to get the best early morning birding—until he was finally given a key to the gate!” Herb even courted his future wife, Patricia Ross, at Mount Auburn; their marriage lasted over 60 years. “Mount Auburn is an oasis, dripping with trees,” Herb said of the Cemetery in 2012. “Open land like that in the middle of Cambridge, it just attracts the birds, especially warblers.You never know what you’re going to see.” Redtailed Hawks were among his favorite birds at Mount Auburn. He enjoyed keeping a bird life list and advised others doing so that “You can really increase your list if you go to Mount Auburn at least once a week in the spring.” Herb’s long intimacy with the Cemetery and its wildlife made him a great asset on the Board of Trustees. Cemetery President Emeritus Bill Clendaniel recalls, “When I became President of Mount Auburn Cemetery in 1988, aged 43 and faced for the first time in my career with running meetings made up of distinguished and much more senior men, Herb Pratt soon became a friendly colleague I could count on for sage advice and support. A man of few words, he was revered by his fellow trustees for his dry humor and common good sense. He was conservative in the best sense, wanting to keep all the natural beauty of the Cemetery unchanged, a valuable brake on all the new ideas that a young President and some of his fellow trustees might put forward.” Current Cemetery President Dave Barnett began his career at Mount Auburn as Director of Horticulture in 1993, and fondly recalls the frequent calls he received from the late trustee. “He would phone with a question about a particular
tree or more likely a request to put an identification label on the tree. He knew the grounds like his own back yard and seemed to always know right away when we either lost a tree or planted a new one. These calls continued after I became President, as did his hand-written notes. I particularly cherish a letter he sent to me after attending our 180th anniversary event, remembering the words of Joseph Story’s Consecration address. It was classic Herb Pratt.” “I had the sense that Herb loved being a Mount Auburn trustee,” writes Meg Winslow, Curator of Historical Collections at the Cemetery. “Whenever he stopped in for a visit, which he often did, he shared stories and advice, inquiring when the cast-iron fence would be painted, reporting on the snapping turtle, asking how my kids were doing. His distinctive penned notes to Cemetery Presidents Alan Chesney, Bill Clendaniel, and Dave Barnett are now preserved in the Cemetery’s Historical Collections along with the many helpful clippings, books, and ephemera that he shared.” Herb Pratt inspired his fellow trustees as well. Jim Storey, recalling when he joined the Mount Auburn board in 1979, “In those days the board met downtown, within the somber concrete walls of the State Street Bank building.Though Herb didn’t say very much at the meeting, he listened carefully to the sometimes lengthy opinions of his fellow board members, occasionally nodding, frowning, or expressing a faint wry grin. His eyes twinkling, he’d glance over to me with an encouraging smile or a wink, bolstering my fragile confidence. When he did speak up, he quietly, pleasantly and firmly suggested a conservative point of view in discussions about whether to spend endowment funds or to impinge on the wilder or more natural spaces in the landscape, his beloved trees or favorite birding territory. I admired him for his knowledge of, and curiosity about, the natural world, as well as for his wisdom, restraint, and sense of humor. For me, he set the standard.” Louise Weed, who took Herbert’s place when he retired from the board, said that it was a great honor to pick up any mantle that Herb carried. “His very nature, his love of the space, inspired me, and his vision guides me to this day.” In addition to birding, Herb’s lifelong interests included sailing, poetry, art, and the natural world. He is survived by his wife Patricia, three children, and numerous grandchildren. “Today’s Mount Auburn is the result of the wisdom of so many who went before,” Clendaniel notes, “and Herb Pratt was an important part of that cohort. Those of us who knew and worked with him miss him very much.
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Did you know...? Mount Auburn Cemetery is ranked first among over 100 local area cultural attractions on TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site offering reviews and advice to and from the global community. The Cemetery was recently awarded the 2015 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence. The award celebrates excellence in hospitality and is given From France: “[T]out simplement exceptionnel sachant que c'est un cimetierre mais aussi un conservatoire pour les arbres!!!” “Simply extraordinary, considering it is a not just cemetery but also a conservatory for trees!” —Kanmacher, Grendelbruch, France (October 2013) From Portugal: “[P]ara conhecer um povo, é preciso conhecer os seus hábitos e costumes e isso inclui a sua postura perante a morte dos seus entes queridos. Os cemitérios não tem que ser lugares tristes, feios e aterrorizadores. São lugares de paz de reflexão e de amor… Na entrada existem folhetos com o mapa, trajectos, passeios e outras actividades "turísticas" que se desenvolvem neste magnífico cemitério. É super tranquilo e relaxante, passear pelos inúmero caminhos e campos relvados do cemitério. Os monumentos funerários são imensos e lindíssimos.Tudo está ricamente tratado e cuidado… No cimo do monte, existe uma torre, que é possível subir e tem-se uma vista encantadora sobre o cemitério, Boston e Cambrige…Visita obrigatória.” “[T]o get to know a people, you have to learn their habits and customs, and that includes their attitude toward the death of loved ones. Cemeteries don’t have to be sad, ugly, or scary places. They are places of peace, reflection, and love… At the entrance, there are flyers with maps, tours, walks, and other “tourist” activities happening in this amazing cemetery. It’s very quiet and relaxing to walk around the countless paths and fields in the cemetery. The funerary monuments are huge and really beautiful. Everything is well-kept and maintained…At the top of the hill, there is a tower that you can climb for an amazing view of the cemetery, and of Boston and Cambridge. Entrance is free…A must-see.” — Nisantani, Coimbra, Portugal (November 2014)
only to establishments that consistently deliver a superior customer experience and achieve great traveler reviews. Locals and regular visitors who come to the Cemetery frequently and out-of-town tourists have equally contributed to our 4.5 star rating! Below are comments from a few of our international visitors.
From Italy “Di tutto si potrebbe pensare di colui che ti dice ‘andiamo a fare una bella camminata al cimitero…,’ e da noi verrebbe classificato come un pazzo o, forse peggio ancora, un necrofilo. Ma qui siamo in America, e quello di Mount Auburn è sì un cimitero, ma ubicato all'interno di un parco meraviglioso, ricco di ogni tipo di piante, di fiori, di laghetti, di scoiattoli e leprotti, di chipmunks (gli scoiattolini tipo Cip & Ciop, per intenderci), di falchi, di tacchini selvatici, di strade asfaltate carrozzabili e di sentieri sterrati che si perdono in mezzo alla vegetazione, di un belvedere da cui si ammira Boston in lontananza e si apprezza, soprattutto, la vastità del parco… Si va al Mount Auburn Cemetery per rilassarsi, per fare una passeggiata nella natura, per ammirare colori e profumi che solo mamma natura ci può regalare: incontrate carrozzine, bimbi che ridono e corrono, vecchi e giovani che si tengono per mano. C'è un modo migliore per ‘vivere’ un cimitero?” “Most people would think that anyone who says ‘Let’s go take a lovely walk in a cemetery…” would be classified as a lunatic or, perhaps worse, a necrophiliac. But here we are in America, and while Mount Auburn is indeed a cemetery, it is one located inside a marvelous park, rich in plants of every type, flowers, ponds, rabbits and squirrels, chipmunks (little squirrels, like Chip and Dale), hawks, wild turkeys, driveable paved roads, unpaved paths that wander through the vegetation, a viewpoint from which one can admire the distant Boston skyline and above all appreciate the vastness of the park. . . . One goes to Mount Auburn to relax, to take a walk in nature, to admire the colors and aromas that only Mother Nature can bestow: you’ll meet strollers, children laughing and running, elders and young people walking hand-in-hand. Is a cemetery the best way to ‘live’?” — Roberto,Vinzaglio, Italy (August 2014).
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Increasing Access and Enabling Scholarship: More than 31,000 Historic Records Digitized in 2015 By Meg Winslow, Curator of Historical Collections and Melissa Banta, Historical Collections Consultant
Continuing a major initiative to digitize unique and fragile records that chronicle the history of Mount Auburn, we are delighted to announce the digitization of more than 31,000 documents dating from the founding of the Cemetery. Housed in climate-controlled storage in the Historical Collections Department, these materials have been preserved but heretofore have not been easily accessible to researchers. This collection of founding documents includes reports and correspondence from the Secretaries, Treasurers, and Superintendents of the Cemetery as well as interment registers, correspondence from lot owners, and illustrated descriptions of lots and monuments. Together, the range of materials provides context for understanding the development of Mount Auburn and the rural cemetery movement. Scholars, for example, will be able to read a digital copy of an 1837 letter from General Henry A. S. Dearborn to Dr. Jacob Bigelow about the naming of the Cemetery’s avenues and paths. The Historical Collections Department can now provide enhanced access to its unique records while protecting them from light and handling. Funding for this project was made possible by a generous gift to the Cemetery in honor of Mount Auburn Cemetery trustee Caroline Loughlin (1940–2013), who worked devotedly with these materials for many years in the Historical Collections Department. Above: Description of Lot (1865), pen-and-ink drawing of the obelisk on the Plympton family lot. Left: Register of Interments, Vol. I (1832), recorded the first interments at the Cemetery.
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Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery 580 Mount Auburn Street Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138-5517
NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID LEOMINSTER, MA PERMIT NO. 17
www.mountauburn.org • 617-547-7105
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Upcoming Events Here is a sampling from the exciting schedule of upcoming programs.Visit us online today to register for any of these programs or to get a complete list of other events on our calendar. k Situational Awareness & the Art of Disappearing with Nature Artist and Writer Julie Zickefoose Tuesday, July 21, 6PM Being in nature has the power to heal us and bring us closer to the creative power that resides inside us, waiting to be released. Nature Artist and Writer Julie Zickefoose offers simple tools to help you tap into nature’s power to restore and revive that spirit. Situational awareness is a key part of our evolutionary heritage, and we lose a little of it each time we plug into our omnipresent devices.Yet we can also use them to forge a deeper connection with nature. With prose, photography and poetry, Julie will demonstrate how she hooks into something larger each time she steps outside, and translates that into content—and contentment. $7 members / $12 non-members http://www.juliezickefoose.com/index.php
r Wine Tasting at Washington Tower Thursday, August 27, 5:30 PM Savor a hand-picked selection of wines provided by The Magnolia Wine Company of Watertown while enjoying the late-summer beauty of Mount Auburn in the early evening hours. Pre-registration required. Free for members / $12 non-members r Returning in September! A Glimpse Beyond Saturday, September 19 & Sunday, September 20 Save the date! A Glimpse Beyond returns to Mount Auburn in September for another inspired performance of music, dance, and poetry. Don’t miss this special opportunity to celebrate Mount Auburn’s stunning landscape in all its glory. Stay tuned for more details. The cast of performers and other specifics related to this year’s event will be announced online this summer.
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