They instruct us in the true value of life, and in its noble purposes, its duties, and its destination. Thus, these repositories of the dead caution us, by their very silence, of our own frail and transitory being. …It is to the living mourner – to the parent, weeping over his dear dead child – to the husband, dwelling in his own solitary desolation – to the widow, whose heart is broken by untimely sorrow – to the friend, who misses at every turn the presence of some kindred spirit. But we address feelings intelligible to all nations, and common to all hearts. The scenery is not new for the hill and the valley, the still, silent dell, and the deep forest, have often been devoted to the same pious purpose. The duty is not new for it has been performed for countless millions. We are met to consecrate these grounds exclusively to the service and repose of the dead. The occasion which brings us together, has much in it calculated to awaken our sensibilities, and cast a solemnity over our thoughts. The first president of the Mount Auburn Cemetery was Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story who delivered the dedication address on Septemto a crowd of 2000: At the top of the cemetery’s highest hill, visitors can still climb the Bigelow Tower for 360 degree views of Boston and the surrounding towns. Memorial services are held in its 19th century chapels, bird-watchers come at dawn landscape architects and historians lead walks for visitors, families wander on the forest paths. The cemetery continues to be one of the most well-loved Cambridge landmarks. It is one of the most moving places in a cemetery that contains many of them.
Rather than separate him from his troops, his family, erected a memorial to him in their family plot in Mt. Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the commanding officer of the 54th Massachusetts, the first black Regiment to fight in the Civil War, was buried in a common grave with his soldiers at Fort Wagner, South Carolina in 1863. Numerous presidents and professors of Harvardįelix Frankfurter (Supreme Court justice)Įlizabeth Cary Agassiz (first president of Radcliffe College)īut one of the most renowned heroes from Boston is buried elsewhere. Mary Baker Eddy, founder of Christian Science Julia Ward Howe, author of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” John Bartlett (compiler of the Familiar Quotations),ĭorothea Dix, who pioneered humane treatment for insanity Among the notable persons buried here are: Auburn has been a coveted burial place for interesting and renowned families of Cambridge and Boston. Founded in 1831 according to the principles of transcendental philosophy, it was designed intentionally to place the dead in a beautiful, pastoral setting. Auburn was the first garden cemetery in the United States. In fact, although the Guide does not mention it, Mt. Its grounds are thickly wooded with rare trees and shrubs, landscaped with occasional ponds, and they rise to a commanding hill from which is a dreamy view of the winding Charles River, Cambridge, Boston and the distant hills.” (p.102) Auburn by the families of so many celebrities, before it became so historically noted, was that it was for many years the only garden cemetery in the environs of Boston It is still the most beautiful. Auburn Cemetery has famous graves of nearly everyone of note who has died in or near Boston for the past hundred years The reason for the choice of Mt.
The Massachusetts State Guide devotes an entire page to the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge and it urges a visit. In this series, I will be posting photo essays and articles based upon tours recommended in the guides. I love them for their wonderful enthusiasm and their curiosity about every aspect of regional life-from food, to linguistics, to folklore, to statistics, to geography, to environment, to history-and especially for their liberal attitudes and respect for diversity. I am an American historian, art photographer, and enthusiastic traveler.
THE VALLEY CEMETERY MARY BAKER EDDY SERIES
Several historians have written about the American Guide Series over the past 80 years, but no one, to my knowledge, has used them as current-day travel guides. The writers’ enthusiasm is infectious and their guide is as much fun to read today as it must have been for travelers in the 1930s. Written in a lively and approachable style, they detail and celebrate the rich diversity that our country displayed at that time. The state guides give a fascinating snapshot of American life in the 1930s. cities and several regions were also given their own separate guidebooks. Written as a collection of travel guides, the series included suggested tour routes as well as essays on the history and culture of each U.S. The American Guide Series, produced by the Federal Writers’ Project, is one of the most well-known WPA projects. An Introduction: On The Road With the WPA’s American Guide Series
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