sweet auburn | 2020 volume ii
Grant Award for Transcription Project
By Anna Moir Grants & Communications Manager
The Friends of Mount Auburn was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities ( NEH ) as part of their NEH CARES economic relief program for cultural organizations . Thanks to this funding , Mount Auburn can continue this ambitious project for the rest of 2020 . We are thrilled to have the opportunity for this incredible team of staff , consultants , and volunteers to bring us closer to our goal of making our collections more accessible to everyone worldwide .
The National Endowment for the Humanities :
Exploring the human endeavor Any views , findings , conclusions , or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities .
every profession was evolving — civil engineering , gardening , landscape design , monument-building , record-keeping , accounting , and real estate . These records reflect a time of growth that included the creation of a greenhouse and nursery , the appointment of a permanent gardener ’ s position , the installation of fountains in the ponds , and the creation of a committee to “ protect , encourage , and introduce birds within the property .” Together , they tell the history of the Cemetery and the story of the rural cemetery movement .
The project has grown to include 100 volunteer transcribers , many of whom have never even been to Mount Auburn . Individuals from all across the country are transcribing our history — from Philadelphia to Pasadena , and from 25 countries around the world — from Belgium to New Zealand . Our goals are to make Mount Auburn ’ s most important early documents readable , searchable , and accessible to as many people as possible and to make Mount Auburn ’ s unique history available to everyone , anywhere in the world . Conceived as a way to engage our collections staff and volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic , we ’ ve been able to engage the public in ways we never thought possible and give new relevance to Mount Auburn ’ s unique records . It helped immensely to receive a National Endowment for the Humanities ( NEH ) CARES grant to support the project , and articles in Antiques and the Arts Weekly and Landscape Architecture have also helped spread the word .
We ’ re connecting on Instagram : @ MtAuburn- HistoricalCollections and encouraging our followers to share their stories and discoveries . We also just held our first “ virtual get-together ” over Zoom to meet transcribers and to get to know each other . It was a great way to learn how our volunteers first connected to the project and what they like about it . As one volunteer put it , “ I love sitting in my airconditioned cocoon doing something helpful and positive .” It was inspiring to hear their stories of wanting to make a positive impact , make a difference , and be useful .
9