curator’ s corner: Historical Collections & Archives
THE LAWRENCE CANE
“ From the Old Oak of Mount Auburn”
By Meg L. Winslow, Senior Curator of Historical Collections & Archives
20 here are some assumptions one might make about
T the archives of a cemetery from the 19th century. Old and dusty interment records and operations reports might come to mind. But, in addition to our many paper records, did you know that Mount Auburn cares for several other collections, including a collection of fine and decorative art? Several objects were commissioned to ornament our chapels and office building, but many have been collected over time and most are gifts, as is the case with our subject: the Lawrence cane from the“ Old Oak of Mount Auburn.”
This March, I had the pleasure of presenting the Lawrence cane, along with four other“ treasures from the collections,” to a small group of donors. This intimate evening event reminded me of the enduring power of Mount Auburn’ s tangible collections to elicit emotion and connection. When we love a place, as many of us love Mount Auburn, we often want to hold it close or keep a piece of it with us. Together that evening, we admired the weathered shape of the ivory handle and the natural curve of the branch from a treasured Mount Auburn tree that had been so artfully crafted into the Lawrence cane.
An inscription on a silver band of the cane reads:“ From the old oak of Mount Auburn,” and continuing on the next line,“ Amos A. Lawrence, / From his Father, 1850.” A gift from father to son— Amos Lawrence to Amos Adams Lawrence— the cane is a familial and symbolic souvenir connecting generations of Lawrences by bringing an object from the resting place of their ancestors into the world of the living. Amos Adams Lawrence( 1814 – 1886) devoted his life to philanthropy and social issues, and his legacy is felt far outside of Mount Auburn’ s gates. He was a major figure in the abolitionist movement and, with family money derived from the cotton trade, which profited from the exploitation of enslaved people, he supplied funding for the activism of abolitionist John Brown. By financing the eponymous city of Lawrence, KS, and the University of Kansas, he aimed to attract northern abolitionists to that area and settle it as a free territory.
As a physical artifact, the Lawrence cane provides a powerful reminder of an earlier family’ s connection to Mount Auburn’ s landscape. Upon receiving the cane from the grandson of Amos A. Lawrence in 1973, Cemetery President Alan Chesney wrote in his thank-you letter,“ Such objects are very helpful in keeping contact with our heritage from the past.”
Stereograph of the Lawrence Lot showing the“ Old Oak of Mount Auburn,” c. 1840s.
Left. top: Cane belonging to Amos Adams Lawrence, 1850 Ivory, mother of pearl, silver, oak wood; 34 inches high and 1-1 / 2 inches in diameter; 2000.054.001. Gift of Right Reverend Frederick C. Lawrence, grandson of Amos A. Lawrence, 1973. Left, bottom: Detail of cane handle Above: Portrait of Amos A. Lawrence( 1814-1886) by Eastman Johnson, 1887. Oil on canvas. Harvard University Portrait Collection. Gift of friends of Amos Lawrence to Harvard University
Mount Auburn Cemetery’ s records and collections tell the stories of Mount Auburn, its landscape, and the more than 100,000 people buried here. Browse our online collections: www. mountauburn. pastperfectonline. com Help transcribe our founding records: www. fromthepage. com / mountauburncemetery