Friends of Mount Auburn

This performance of “The Nature Plays” is a “Pay What You Can” Performance.  Tickets are on sale now for The Nature Plays, the first of two series of site-specific plays created by the Cemetery’s first Playwright Artist-in-Residence, Patrick Gabridge. Gabridge’s Mount Auburn Plays will be presented in two sets of 5 unique plays each: The Nature Plays premiere June 1-9, 2019, highlighting stories inspired by the rich natural environment of Mount Auburn with topics such as spotted salamanders in Consecration Dell, birders at Auburn Lake, and historic…

Tickets are on sale now for The Nature Plays, the first of two series of site-specific plays created by the Cemetery’s first Playwright Artist-in-Residence, Patrick Gabridge. Gabridge’s Mount Auburn Plays will be presented in two sets of 5 unique plays each: The Nature Plays premiere June 1-9, 2019, highlighting stories inspired by the rich natural environment of Mount Auburn with topics such as spotted salamanders in Consecration Dell, birders at Auburn Lake, and historic debates between naturalists who are buried at the Cemetery. Audiences will experience the…

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, 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…

Tickets are on sale now for The Nature Plays, the first of two series of site-specific plays created by the Cemetery’s first Playwright Artist-in-Residence, Patrick Gabridge. Gabridge's Mount Auburn Plays will be presented in two sets of 5 unique plays each: The Nature Plays premiere June 1-9, 2019, highlighting stories inspired by the rich natural environment of Mount Auburn with topics such as spotted salamanders in Consecration Dell, birders at Auburn Lake, and historic debates between naturalists who are buried at the Cemetery. Audiences will experience the…

Tickets are on sale now for The Nature Plays, the first of two series of site-specific plays created by the Cemetery’s first Playwright Artist-in-Residence, Patrick Gabridge. Gabridge's Mount Auburn Plays will be presented in two sets of 5 unique plays each: The Nature Plays premiere June 1-9, 2019, highlighting stories inspired by the rich natural environment of Mount Auburn with topics such as spotted salamanders in Consecration Dell, birders at Auburn Lake, and historic debates between naturalists who are buried at the Cemetery. Audiences will experience the…

Tickets are on sale now for The Nature Plays, the first of two series of site-specific plays created by the Cemetery’s first Playwright Artist-in-Residence, Patrick Gabridge. Gabridge's Mount Auburn Plays will be presented in two sets of 5 unique plays each: The Nature Plays premiere June 1-9, 2019, highlighting stories inspired by the rich natural environment of Mount Auburn with topics such as spotted salamanders in Consecration Dell, birders at Auburn Lake, and historic debates between naturalists who are buried at the Cemetery. Audiences will experience the…

Tickets are on sale now for The Nature Plays, the first of two series of site-specific plays created by the Cemetery’s first Playwright Artist-in-Residence, Patrick Gabridge. Gabridge's Mount Auburn Plays will be presented in two sets of 5 unique plays each: The Nature Plays premiere June 1-9, 2019, highlighting stories inspired by the rich natural environment of Mount Auburn with topics such as spotted salamanders in Consecration Dell, birders at Auburn Lake, and historic debates between naturalists who are buried at the Cemetery. Audiences will experience the…

Celebrated, scandalous, and unknown: meet some of the fascinating figures of Boston’s LGBT past on a walk led by docent and historian Robin Hazard Ray. We will visit the resting places of Senator Charles Sumner, actress Charlotte Cushman, poet Amy Lowell, and painter George Hawley Hallowell, among others, in recognition of Boston Pride Week 2019. 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…

Hard to believe Mount Auburn’s migrants arrived a month ago and now have a family. Join Jeremiah Trimble, Curatorial Associate, Ornithology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, to look for young that have recently fledged and those still in the nest. We will also search for late season migrants. 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…

Tickets are on sale now for The Nature Plays, the first of two series of site-specific plays created by the Cemetery’s first Playwright Artist-in-Residence, Patrick Gabridge. Gabridge's Mount Auburn Plays will be presented in two sets of 5 unique plays each: The Nature Plays premiere June 1-9, 2019, highlighting stories inspired by the rich natural environment of Mount Auburn with topics such as spotted salamanders in Consecration Dell, birders at Auburn Lake, and historic debates between naturalists who are buried at the Cemetery. Audiences will experience the…

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 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…

Tickets are on sale now for The Nature Plays, the first of two series of site-specific plays created by the Cemetery’s first Playwright Artist-in-Residence, Patrick Gabridge. Gabridge's Mount Auburn Plays will be presented in two sets of 5 unique plays each: The Nature Plays premiere June 1-9, 2019, highlighting stories inspired by the rich natural environment of Mount Auburn with topics such as spotted salamanders in Consecration Dell, birders at Auburn Lake, and historic debates between naturalists who are buried at the Cemetery. Audiences will experience the…

Tickets are on sale now for The Nature Plays, the first of two series of site-specific plays created by the Cemetery’s first Playwright Artist-in-Residence, Patrick Gabridge. Gabridge's Mount Auburn Plays will be presented in two sets of 5 unique plays each: The Nature Plays premiere June 1-9, 2019, highlighting stories inspired by the rich natural environment of Mount Auburn with topics such as spotted salamanders in Consecration Dell, birders at Auburn Lake, and historic debates between naturalists who are buried at the Cemetery. Audiences will experience the…

Tickets are on sale now for The Nature Plays, the first of two series of site-specific plays created by the Cemetery’s first Playwright Artist-in-Residence, Patrick Gabridge. Gabridge's Mount Auburn Plays will be presented in two sets of 5 unique plays each: The Nature Plays premiere June 1-9, 2019, highlighting stories inspired by the rich natural environment of Mount Auburn with topics such as spotted salamanders in Consecration Dell, birders at Auburn Lake, and historic debates between naturalists who are buried at the Cemetery. Audiences will experience the…

Tickets are on sale now for The Nature Plays, the first of two series of site-specific plays created by the Cemetery’s first Playwright Artist-in-Residence, Patrick Gabridge. Gabridge’s Mount Auburn Plays will be presented in two sets of 5 unique plays each: The Nature Plays premiere June 1-9, 2019, highlighting stories inspired by the rich natural environment of Mount Auburn with topics such as spotted salamanders in Consecration Dell, birders at Auburn Lake, and historic debates between naturalists who are buried at the Cemetery. Audiences will experience the…

Using characters, letters and events from history, Jane Goodrich’s first novel, The House at Lobster Cove (2017), is part family saga and part love story.  The protagonist, George Nixon Black, is buried at Mount Auburn on Eagle Avenue.   Each month, the Mount Auburn Book Club meets to discuss a selected work related to one of Mount Auburn’s many facets. Selections range from books on history, natural history, horticulture, art, architecture, preservation, and wildlife to books written by or about those now buried…

Join volunteer docent Helen Abrams on a walking tour, as she shares her ongoing research into the lives and contributions of Jewish residents of Mount Auburn - this time focusing on the stories of Jewish women such as Mildred Dresselhaus, the "Queen of Carbon", MIT professor and researcher; Svetlana Boym, teacher, author and artist; and Gisela Warburg Wyzanski, who saved thousands of refugee children in the 1930's.  Although the other women to be visited are not as well known, this walk will…

In honor of Juneteenth, volunteer docent Stephen Pinkerton will lead a walking tour to pay tribute to African-Americans who were buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery in the last 50 years. Notables include jazz clarinetist and band leader, Edmond Hall; Dr. Linda Datcher Loury, Tufts University professor and pioneering scholar of social economics; and Yvonne Gregory, poet and co-author of the 1951 We Charge Genocide petition to the UN. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts…

Looking beyond the national leadership of the suffrage movement, an acclaimed historian gives voice to the thousands of women from different backgrounds, races, and religions whose local passion and protest resounded throughout the land. For far too long, the history of how American women won the right to vote has been told as the tale of a few iconic leaders, all white and native-born. But Susan Ware uncovered a much broader and more diverse story waiting to be told. Why They Marched is a…

Enjoy the summer beauty of the flower gardens outside the Mount Auburn Greenhouses while listening to folk and bluegrass performances by local artists. Limited seating available, please bring your own blanket or chair. Rain or Shine.  In case of rain we will move inside the greenhouse Parking available at the Greenhouse:  94 Grove Street, Watertown. This Month's Artists:  Tim Rowell is an avid clawhammer banjoist, tune collector and educator. He was heavily influenced as a kid by Pete Seeger and a…

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.…

Hundreds of people lie buried in unmarked graves at Mount Auburn. Reasons for the lack of grave markers - family feud, religious preference, reversal of fortune - are as intriguing and various as the people themselves. Join Volunteer Docent Robin Hazard Ray on a walk to visit some of these invisible cemetery residents and learn their stories. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining…

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…

Henry David Thoreau was one of the most important and influential writers of the 19th Century.  And while he isn't buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery,  he was well acquainted with many of the literary and political figures who are.  Join Concord historian Richard Smith for an entertaining look at Henry Thoreau and some of his famous friends. The "Hermit of Walden Pond" wasn't such a hermit after all. Longfellow, Charles Sumner and Margaret Fuller are just some of the notable figures who…

American Philosophy: A Love Story (2016) is part intellectual history, part memoir.  John Kaag is a dispirited young philosopher at sea in his marriage and his career when he stumbles upon West Wind, a ruin of an estate in the hinterlands of New Hampshire that belonged to the eminent Harvard philosopher William Ernest Hocking. The books Kaag discovers in the Hocking library include the works of philosopher Josiah Royce who is buried on Excelsior Path. Each month, the Mount Auburn Book…

In this transformative workshop, you will explore your own mortality and what it means to lead a deeply fulfilled life.  You'll be guided through a series of thought-provoking journal prompts, yin yoga postures and a meditation on death to help you reflect on your life’s most significant events.  You'll draft your own obituary and six-word epitaph for your gravestone which tells your story, in your words, and captures exactly how you want to be remembered. Choosing to explore your feelings…

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…

Please join Mount Auburn’s Curator of Historical Collections Meg L. Winslow and Director of Cemetery Development Jim Holman for a special walking tour of contemporary commemorative art in the resplendent light of a late summer afternoon. This tour is recommended if you would like to learn more about the iconography, art, and design of Mount Auburn’s recent memorials. Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by…

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 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…

From bestselling author Mathew Pearl comes his newest mystery novel, The Dante Chamber (2018) a masterful tale of literature, obsession, and murder.  Famous scholar Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes helps to assist in deciphering the literary clues.  Holmes is buried on Lime Avenue. Each month, the Mount Auburn Book Club meets to discuss a selected work related to one of Mount Auburn’s many facets. Selections range from books on history, natural history, horticulture, art, architecture, preservation, and wildlife to books written by or about…

Please join Jeremiah Trimble, Curatorial Associate, Ornithology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, for a leisurely walk around Mount Auburn exploring habitats from pond edges to wildflower patches, in search of the various types of butterflies and dragonflies. 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…

Enjoy the summer beauty of the flower gardens outside the Mount Auburn Greenhouses while listening to folk and bluegrass performances by local artists. Limited seating available, please bring your own blanket or chair. Rain or Shine.  In case of rain we will move inside the greenhouse Parking available at the Greenhouse:  94 Grove Street, Watertown. This Month's Artists:  Ona Canoa is a new Western Massachusetts folk trio with a timeless sound. The group is comprised of Chelsie Field (baritone ukulele/ vox),…

This event has been moved from August 18th to September 8th at 1:00pm 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,…

The fall migration of the Common Nighthawk is a predictable and visible phenomenon. Over the years Bob Stymeist has observed hundreds of nighthawks from the Tower and now you can, too. We’ll meet at Asa Gray Garden (Lawn Avenue Circle) and then carpool to Washington Tower. Bring Binoculars and a flashlight. Limited Enrollment. Registration required. 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…

The fall migration of the Common Nighthawk is a predictable and visible phenomenon. Over the years Bob Stymeist has observed hundreds of nighthawks from the Tower and now you can, too. We’ll meet at Asa Gray Garden (Lawn Avenue Circle) and then carpool to Washington Tower. Bring Binoculars and a flashlight. Limited Enrollment. Registration required. 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…

The fall migration of the Common Nighthawk is a predictable and visible phenomenon. Over the years Bob Stymeist has observed hundreds of nighthawks from the Tower and now you can, too. We’ll meet at Asa Gray Garden (Lawn Avenue Circle) and then carpool to Washington Tower. Bring Binoculars and a flashlight. Limited Enrollment. Registration required. 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…

The fall migration of the Common Nighthawk is a predictable and visible phenomenon. Over the years Bob Stymeist has observed hundreds of nighthawks from the Tower and now you can, too. We’ll meet at Asa Gray Garden (Lawn Avenue Circle) and then carpool to Washington Tower. Bring Binoculars and a flashlight. Limited Enrollment. Registration required. 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…

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. The wine tasting will take place in the newly renovated, Asa Gray Garden. Pre-registration required. 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…

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…

Satigata, “mindful song” or “chant,” is an exploration into opening the heart to transformation, devotion and the awakening of wisdom through Buddhist and yogic songs and chanting. Accompanied by guitar and drum, Satigata is inspiring spiritual music with energy, tenderness and a progressive sound. Chris Berlin, Darren Becker, and Andrew Stauffer represent three generations of Master of Divinity graduates from Harvard Divinity School and are fully devoted to transmitting a contemplative spirit to others through their music. Meet in Story…

Working Stiff: two years, 262 bodies, and the making of a medical examiner by Dr. Judy Melnik (2014) is the memoir of a young forensic pathologist's "rookie season" as a NYC medical examiner. It is a gripping account of death investigation—performing autopsies, investigating death scenes and counseling grieving relatives.  Each month, the Mount Auburn Book Club meets to discuss a selected work related to one of Mount Auburn’s many facets. Selections range from books on history, natural history, horticulture, art, architecture, preservation, and…