Friends of Mount Auburn

Join our staff for any or all of these hour-long early morning excursions to discover what’s in bloom and any other items of horticultural interest. From early bulbs to magnificent flowering trees, we will try to catch them all. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends of Mount Auburn. Our robust roster of programs each year is made possible through your generous support.…

In a desire to soften the message of death and to beautify the cemetery, mourners turned to fine art sculpture and engaged notable sculptors to help them understand the mystery of death.  Join Volunteer Docent, Rosemarie Smurzynski, in this spring walk to visit Mount Auburn’s fine art memorials.  Hear stories of those remembered by this art, loved ones who commissioned the monuments, and the artists who created them. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our…

Springtime at Mount Auburn is one of our regions’ truly ineffable experiences. With a cornucopia of flowers enhancing our designed landscape, there is seemingly no view that fails to interest us. Join Visitor Services Assistant Jim Gorman for a walk of selected horticultural highlights. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends of Mount Auburn. Our robust roster of programs each year is made possible through…

Join our staff for any or all of these hour-long early morning excursions to discover what’s in bloom and any other items of horticultural interest. From early bulbs to magnificent flowering trees, we will try to catch them all. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends of Mount Auburn. Our robust roster of programs each year is made possible through your generous support.…

“And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.” Many monuments at Mount Auburn are adorned with quotations from the great English poet and playwright, William Shakespeare, and several theatre actors are among our distinguished residents.  Join Volunteer Docent Susan Zawalich to honor the 456th birthday of The Bard of Avon (actual birthday is April 23) as we visit the gravesites of Edwin Booth, Charlotte Cushman and others, searching out some of the incised quotations, and reciting some of the memorable words…

Mount Auburn Cemetery is pleased to announce that we are starting a new program to help us tell the stories of the more than 100,000 remarkable individuals buried and commemorated at the Cemetery. These stories will be shared on our new online Memorial Pages http://mountauburn.org/onlinememorialpages/  In conjunction with the launch of our online Memorial Pages, we are pleased to offer an exciting new program to digitize memorabilia relating to individuals buried and commemorated at Mount Auburn. This free service will be…

Mount Auburn, designated a National Historic Landmark, is one of the country’s most significant designed landscapes.  Here the arts of horticulture, architecture and sculpture combine with the beauty of nature to create a place of comfort and inspiration. This 1.5-mile walking tour will focus on stories of history, monuments, and the lives of those buried here.   Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends…

Join us for an informative discussion about the cremation process. Joseph Bancewicz, Crematory Manager, and Steve Brown, Director of Cemetery Services, will answer all of your cremation-related questions: Can I witness the cremation? Is a casket required? Can anyone be cremated at Mount Auburn? What do I do with the cremated remains? Find out the answers to these and other commonly asked questions followed by a tour of our new, state-of-the-art crematory. Bring your lunch for this hour-long presentation in…

Join our staff for any or all of these hour-long early morning excursions to discover what’s in bloom and any other items of horticultural interest. From early bulbs to magnificent flowering trees, we will try to catch them all. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends of Mount Auburn. Our robust roster of programs each year is made possible through your generous support.…

Springtime at Mount Auburn is one of our regions’ truly ineffable experiences. With a cornucopia of flowers enhancing our designed landscape, there is seemingly no view that fails to interest us. Join Visitor Services Assistant Jim Gorman for a walk of selected horticultural highlights. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends of Mount Auburn. Our robust roster of programs each year is made possible through…

Join us for this Mother’s Day stroll with Volunteer Docent Nancy Callan to explore the symbols of motherhood found on monuments while visiting the graves of some notable mothers now buried here.  We will include a visit to the grave of Julia Ward Howe, founder of Mother’s Day for Peace. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends of Mount Auburn. Our robust roster of…

We invite you to join us for our annual Service of Commemoration on Bigelow Chapel Lawn. Words and music will help us to remember those who have gone before us during this Memorial Day service. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends of Mount Auburn. Our robust roster of programs each year is made possible through your generous support. Funding for programs has…

When Jemima, an orphaned blue jay, is brought to wildlife rehabilitator Julie Zickefoose, she is a palm-sized bundle of gray-blue fluff. But she is starved and very sick. Julie’s constant care brings her around, and as Jemima is raised for eventual release, she takes over the house and the rest of the author’s summer.  Author and artist Julie Zickefoose will share stories and art from her new book Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay at Bigelow Chapel. Experience a…

Join our staff for any or all of these hour-long early morning excursions to discover what’s in bloom and any other items of horticultural interest. From early bulbs to magnificent flowering trees, we will try to catch them all. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends of Mount Auburn. Our robust roster of programs each year is made possible through your generous support.…

Originally built in the 1840s, Bigelow Chapel has been revitalized to meet the changing needs of families and the visiting public. A new entrance providing universal access graciously welcomes everyone arriving to attend a private family service or a public event. New multi-use gathering spaces provide numerous options for intimate memorial services in a non-denomination setting, informal receptions following services or burials, and a host of public events. A new state-of-the-art Crematory, replacing its previous facility, has prepared Mount Auburn to…

Join our staff for any or all of these hour-long early morning excursions to discover what’s in bloom and any other items of horticultural interest. From early bulbs to magnificent flowering trees, we will try to catch them all. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends of Mount Auburn. Our robust roster of programs each year is made possible through your generous support.…

Mount Auburn Cemetery is pleased to announce that we are starting a new program to help us tell the stories of the more than 100,000 remarkable individuals buried and commemorated at the Cemetery. These stories will be shared on our new online Memorial Pages http://mountauburn.org/onlinememorialpages/  In conjunction with the launch of our online Memorial Pages, we are pleased to offer an exciting new program to digitize memorabilia relating to individuals buried and commemorated at Mount Auburn. This free service will be…

Mount Auburn, designated a National Historic Landmark, is one of the country’s most significant designed landscapes.  Here the arts of horticulture, architecture and sculpture combine with the beauty of nature to create a place of comfort and inspiration. This 1.5-mile walking tour will focus on stories of history, monuments, and the lives of those buried here.   Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends…

Join our staff for any or all of these hour-long early morning excursions to discover what’s in bloom and any other items of horticultural interest. From early bulbs to magnificent flowering trees, we will try to catch them all. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends of Mount Auburn. Our robust roster of programs each year is made possible through your generous support.…

Celebrated, scandalous, and unknown: meet some of the fascinating figures of Boston’s LGBT past on a walk led by Volunteer Docent Robin Hazard Ray. We will visit the resting places of sculptor Harriet Hosmer, actress Charlotte Cushman, Byzantine scholar Thomas Whittemore, and Gloucester collector Henry Davis Sleeper, among others, in recognition of Boston Pride Week 2020. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends…

Known as the “mother of modern dance,” Isadora Duncan created a series of mourning dances following the accidental deaths of her two children in 1913. Dances by Isadora will perform these evocative dances of wind, sea, darkness, and light in Hazel Dell. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends of Mount Auburn. Our robust roster of programs each year is made possible through your generous support.…

Salacious secrets, Victorian melodrama, baseless rumors? Join Events and Outreach Coordinator, Corinne Elicone on a walking tour that will explore the inner social circles of 19th century Boston, and all the juicy gossip that surrounded them. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends of Mount Auburn. Our robust roster of programs each year is made possible through your generous support. Funding for programs has…

Join independent literary historian Rob Velella on this walking tour celebrating two of the most popular women writers of the 19th century: Fanny Osgood and Fanny Fern. One was a popular sentimental poet; the other was a groundbreaking writer of prose. Both incited scandal throughout their lives, and each used their writings to present a unique picture of 19th-century domesticity. Their lives, their associations, and their works will be highlighted. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free…

Originally built in the 1840s, Bigelow Chapel has been revitalized to meet the changing needs of families and the visiting public. A new entrance providing universal access graciously welcomes everyone arriving to attend a private family service or a public event. New multi-use gathering spaces provide numerous options for intimate memorial services in a non-denomination setting, informal receptions following services or burials, and a host of public events. A new state-of-the-art Crematory, replacing its previous facility, has prepared Mount Auburn to…

Mount Auburn, designated a National Historic Landmark, is one of the country’s most significant designed landscapes.  Here the arts of horticulture, architecture and sculpture combine with the beauty of nature to create a place of comfort and inspiration. This 1.5-mile walking tour will focus on stories of history, monuments, and the lives of those buried here.   Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends…

Adding new plants to the collections at Mount Auburn which flower in late spring or summer is not just about adding color to the landscape. This initiative is also a response to climate change and the general trend of plants flowering earlier and earlier each year. Join Dennis Collins, Horticultural Curator, on this walking tour to learn about this important horticultural initiative. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on…

The road to woman’s suffrage was long and complicated. It was influenced by race, class and gender.  Early voices like Judith Sargent Murray, wife of Rev. John Murray buried at Mount Auburn, inspired men and women to work for justice and equality.  Join Volunteer Docent Rosemarie Smurzynski, in an August walk to commemorate 100 years of woman’s suffrage and to hear stories of courage and commitment of those caught up in its narrative. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with…

Join us at our Greenhouse to explore the greenhouses and surrounding gardens at peak bloom time. Kelley Sullivan, Mount Auburn’s Greenhouse Horticulturist & Plant Health Care Specialist, will guide you with tips and techniques. Peek into our greenhouses and see how our gardens interact with our greenhouse plantings. Observe how our beautiful and diverse cut-flower gardens enhance habitat, shelter, and alternative food sources for beneficial inhabitants. We’ll provide the lenses, you bring your senses. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with…

Mount Auburn Cemetery is pleased to announce that we are starting a new program to help us tell the stories of the more than 100,000 remarkable individuals buried and commemorated at the Cemetery. These stories will be shared on our new online Memorial Pages http://mountauburn.org/onlinememorialpages/  In conjunction with the launch of our online Memorial Pages, we are pleased to offer an exciting new program to digitize memorabilia relating to individuals buried and commemorated at Mount Auburn. This free service will be…

Mount Auburn, designated a National Historic Landmark, is one of the country’s most significant designed landscapes.  Here the arts of horticulture, architecture and sculpture combine with the beauty of nature to create a place of comfort and inspiration. This 1.5-mile walking tour will focus on stories of history, monuments, and the lives of those buried here.   Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends…

The great art collections of Boston—the Boston Athenaeum, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Harvard Art Museums, among others—were created by vivid personalities, often in head-to-head competition with one another. Meet the friends who were also rivals in the accumulation of artistic treasures that enrich our lives today on this walking tour with Volunteer Docent Robin Hazard Ray. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs…