Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn A Dynamic and Evolving Landscape | Page 31

Urgent Repair Needed for
Monument to Express Service
Founder
By Meg L. Winslow, Curator of Historical Collections and Melissa Banta, Historical Collections Consultant

Mount Auburn has long bee n a leade r among
historic cemeteries in conserving irreplaceable examples
of American funerary sculpture. In 2013, the stewardship
of the Cemetery’s monuments was advanced with a grant
from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services
(IMLS MA-30-13-0533-13) for a two-year project
to document and research our Significant Monument
Collection, a group of thirty monuments of utmost
importance to the Cemetery’s cultural landscape.
The IMLS grant enabled Cemetery staff to create a
baseline for preservation of the
Significant Monument Collection,
including documentation, photography, cataloging, research in our historical collections, and the establishment
of standards for the care of outdoor
sculpture. Condition assessments and
treatment recommendations were
also provided by Daedalus Inc., Fine
Art Conservators. With information
gleaned through the IMLS grant,
Mount Auburn staff has prioritized
the monuments most urgently in need
of care and preservation. We began in
2014 with conservation of the Binney
Monument; in 2015, the Magoun
Monument was conserved. This year,
we are seeking funds to conserve
another significant monument in the
collection, the Harnden Monument
on Central Avenue.
The Harnden Monument was erected in 1866 by the
Express Companies of the United States to commemorate
their founder, William Frederick Harnden (1812-1845),
who pioneered express services between Boston and New
York. This striking monument features a large granite

canopy over a marble urn and
a statue of a dog by noted
American sculptor Thomas A.
Carew (1819-1892). The urn’s
pedestal is adorned with basreliefs that illustrate the sending
and receiving of packages.
A century and a half of exposure to acidic rainwater and the harsh freeze-thaw cycles
of New England winters have caused significant erosion
of the monument’s sculptural details,
and water has penetrated in places.
Conservators will first carefully wash
accumulated soil from the granite and
marble surfaces with neutral cleaners
and soft brushes. A portable laser gun
will help remove dirt from fragile
areas. Cracks and joints will be filled
with a soft grout or other reversible
fill material, mixed with marble sand
to match the stone. A large crack
in the marble urn will be mended,
and the bronze elements will be
cleaned and re-patinated. Finally, a
chemical treatment will be applied to
strengthen the monument.
Treatment of this monument will
be a joint effort between Mount
Auburn and Daedalus, Inc. Mount
Auburn’s staff will clean and repoint
the granite plaza, border wall, and granite structure;
Daedalus conservators will wash and treat the monument.
After treatment, the Harnden Monument will be monitored by Mount Auburn’s preservation staff and undergo
cyclical maintenance to prevent additional deterioration.
Conservation treatment, including the erection of
scaffolding, is estimated at $55,000, and we need your
help! The Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery is seeking
donations from individuals, private groups, foundations,
and corporations to support preservation of this significant
monument. For more information, please contact Jenny
Gilbert, Director of Institutional Advancement, at jgilbert@
mountauburn.org or 617-607-1970.You can also donate
on our website at http://mountauburn.org/give/.

Summer 2016 | 29