Mount Auburn Cemetery history

On July 6, 1832 the first interment in Mount Auburn’s original 72 acres was made near the top of Mount Auburn’s peak (Lot 182 Mountain Avenue). James and Margaret Boyd buried their stillborn son Charles in their family lot.

In 1833, one of Mount Auburn’s … Continue reading →

In 1835, four years after the founding of Mount Auburn Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story was elected the first President of the Cemetery.

In 1841, the Scots Charitable Society purchased a lot at Mount Auburn for its members.

In 1842 the Cemetery’s Egyptian Revival Gate, initially built in wood, was rebuilt in granite in the same architectural style.

A sixteen year old Emily Dickinson spent two weeks sightseeing in Boston in the fall of 1846 while staying with an aunt.

In 1847, the … Continue reading →

At a July 6, 1852 meeting Mount Auburn President Jacob Bigelow exhibited a model he designed for a tower.

In 1854 over 18 acres of farmland known as Stone Farm (not to be confused with Stone Estate land) was acquired and held for 20 years while trees were planted and roads were laid out.

“In 1855-56 the western end of Garden Pond (now Halcyon Lake) which extended nearly to the present site of Story Chapel was filled up.

25 years after their purchase, the first burial was of Frances Calley Gray in 1856.

The first edition was published on Wednesday, June 15, 1859.

Parts of the system, some laid as long ago as 1860, were beginning to fail.

In March 1865, Bigelow first proposed that the Cemetery commission “a public monument in memory of the heroes who have fallen in the present war for the preservation of the Union.” However, the trustees postponed making any decision.

On November 16, 1867, the First Corps of Cadets memorial was dedicated.

By 1870 the ratio of enclosed lots (iron fences … Continue reading →

The next burial was of Horace Gray in 1873, marked by a simple marble stone.

Designed by noted Boston architects William Robert Ware and Henry Van Brunt, the Freeland mausoleum on Lawn Avenue was the first freestanding tomb constructed at the Cemetery, erected in 1874.

At that time, the neighborhood was an estate owned by John Chipman Gray (1793-1881), a state politician and horticulturist who resided on Boston’s Summer Street.

However, according to the Trustee Minutes of 1882, a special committee had to be … Continue reading →

The 1885 edition of Moses King’s guide book, Mount Auburn Cemetery, notes that “on the left of Central Avenue, is a beautifully embellished octagonal building, with a stone platform and seats for visitors [containing] an excellent well of pure water.” … Continue reading →

The Administration Building was designed in 1896 by Willard T. Sears in the “English Perpendicular Style.” Over the years, it has undergone many changes to … Continue reading →

Automobiles, introduced into Mount Auburn in 1908, prompted a series of roadway improvements.

In 1912 the Stone estate, located immediately to the south of Willow Pond, was acquired.

The Mary Baker Eddy monument, an anchor of the Halcyon Lake landscape, was designed by Egerton Swartwout in 1915 and completed in … Continue reading →

For many years before 1922, no fences, granite curbing, or steps had been permitted on newly purchased lots.

In 1929 architects Allen and Collens supervised the installation of richly colored stained glass in the windows of the nave and chancel of Story Chapel.

The Service Plant and garages located in the Northwest Corner of the Cemetery were built in 1932, by architect Henry L. Kennedy, on the Bird lot previously occupied by the stone crushing plant.

In 1935 the Cemetery decided to close its downtown offices and relocate all administrative functions to the recently designed building just inside its Mount Auburn Street entrance.

In 1941 a new columbarium was built in the basement of Story Chapel.

In 1953 Mount Auburn Biographies by Foster W. Russell was published. “With the primary purpose of preserving a convenient record of the accomplishments of over five hundred of the more noted persons who have found lasting repose in the cemetery, … Continue reading →

In 1959, the area was redesigned by Sidney … Continue reading →

In 1966 the Massachusetts Horticultural Society awarded Mount Auburn Cemetery with a Gold Medal in recognition of “135 years of horticultural excellence.” Adapted from the 1966 Trustee Minutes

In 1973, the Victorian receiving tomb on Auburn Lake was demolished in order to make room for the newly commissioned Auburn Court Crypts.

In 1981, Richard Duca’s untitled abstract sculpture of ductal iron was installed on Willow Pond Knoll between Bigelow Avenue and Bradlee Road.

Sasakai Associates designed the area and J.C. Milne Company began construction in 1984.

The Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery was established in 1986 to promote the appreciation and preservation of this important cultural and natural resource.

In 1990 it was designated as a non-profit educational trust.

In 1992, a major landscaping and replanting initiative developed by the Halvorson Company for the Willow Pond area was implemented to enhance the beauty of the Pond while improving habitat for birds and other wildlife.

At the 1993 The New England Flower Show, hosted by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, the Gold Medal was awarded to William C. Clendaniel, President, “for his skill in horticulture and arboriculture, maintaining the highest standards at Mount Auburn Cemetery.”

The low granite curbed area on the Eastern part of Vesper Path was developed as new interment space in 1994 by Halvorson Co.

Spruce Knoll was completed in 1996 as a woodland garden intended for those who wish to cherish the natural world while at the same time choosing a burial site that will provide perpetual beauty for the living as well as the … Continue reading →

In 2000, the Sawin property was purchased for the purpose of creating a new workspace for the Preservation department.

In 2003, the Preservation Services Building (PSB) was built to house the Preservation workshop, offices and an apartment for a staff person to live on … Continue reading →

Mount Auburn celebrated its 175th Anniversary with a year-long celebration beginning in September 2006.

Mount Auburn Cemetery has been a setting for scenes in several recent feature films including: Gone Baby Gone (2007) Gone Baby Gone is a mystery film directed by Ben Affleck and starring Casey Affleck.