President’ s Corner
sweet auburn | winter 2025-2026
President’ s Corner
A s we enter 2026— the 195th anniversary of Mount
Auburn’ s consecration— I’ m so pleased to look back on what we were able to accomplish together this year. Mount Auburn is, at its heart, a place of commemoration, but it is also a living landscape that evolves through the care and commitment of all who walk its paths, study its plants and wildlife, honor loved ones, or simply find inspiration beneath its marvelous tree canopy. This past year reminded me, again and again, how essential it is to preserve not just the physical assets of the Cemetery, but its stories as well.
We made great advancements in our stewardship of both the historic landscape and the natural environment. The completion of the Scots’ Charitable Society Lot Fence restoration( p. 22) has brought new life to this story of 19th-century immigration and cultural reverence while underlining the power of philanthropy at Mount Auburn. Through horticultural improvements and monument care, our incredible staff— like Preservationist Jerome Badot( p. 18)— continue to imbue the Cemetery with the breathtaking beauty that was intended by our founders.
There has been much uncertainty in the world over the past year. I’ m honored that Mount Auburn can serve as a place people can go not just to escape, but to be immersed. Each path intertwines stories of human lives with the cycles of nature, which make a poetic pairing. I extend my sincere gratitude to Thom Burns, Curator of the Astronomical Plate Collection at the Harvard College Observatory( and former consultant in Mount Auburn’ s Historical Collections & Archives), for his wonderful article on Mount Auburn resident and astronomer Williamina Fleming( p. 2). Mount Auburn honors the remarkable work of the trailblazing women in our history, and now more than ever it’ s key for us to share their stories.
While we’ re on the subject of stories, I’ d like to thank you, reader, for being a part of ours. Our visitors and families— old and new— make this place what it is, and I look forward to all we will experience together in 2026. With exciting projects on the horizon like an improved Welcome Center at the Egyptian Gatehouse, the wildlife habitat restoration of Willow Pond, and many more, we can’ t wait for you to be a part of our next chapter.
Here’ s to 2026 and even more reasons to celebrate Mount Auburn!
Photo by Claire Vail
Matthew Stephens President & CEO