and dells , grassy knolls , and ponds and wetlands formed by stagnant ice . Majestic native oaks , elms , beeches , walnuts , and evergreens populated the irregular terrain .
Wadsworth ’ s early plan reveals the original layout of the Cemetery . A series of gently curving avenues 18 to 20 feet wide permitted the passage of horse-drawn carriages . Winding unpaved paths measuring 5 to 6 feet wide allowed pedestrians to explore the grounds and provided pallbearers with access to the Cemetery ’ s interior lots . Wadsworth ’ s plan includes the botanical names assigned to most of the avenues , paths , hills , and ponds .
While Bigelow and Brimmer played key roles in the initial design of Mount Auburn , Dearborn served as the primary landscape designer . The inspiration for the system of avenues and paths came from Père La Chaise Cemetery in Paris . Seeking to enhance the beauty of the natural elements , in the tradition of English picturesque gardens , Dearborn took care , as he wrote , to lay out the avenues so as to “ run them as nearly level as possible by winding gradually and gracefully through the valley and obliquely over hills , without any unnecessary or unavoidable bend .” 4 The result was a pleasing design of mysterious , sacred spaces and thoughtful plantings .“ The innovation of Dearborn ’ s landscape solutions ,” architectural historian Arthur Krim notes ,“ are best seen in the comprehensive treatment of the site which focused attention upon the existing natural features , thereby amplifying the picturesque effect .” 5
Dearborn not only envisioned the overall design but supervised the work on site . Over the course of three
Plan of Mount Auburn , Alexander Wadsworth , lithograph , 1831 .
summers , he personally oversaw the clearing and planting of trees and shrubs ( some transplanted from his Roxbury estate ) and the construction of avenues and paths . With Wadsworth , he laid out hundreds of 300-square-foot burial lots in small clearings within the forested landscape . He was reported going into the trenches with “ hoe in hand , day after day , at the head of his laborers , levelling [ sic ] and grading the walks ,” with teams of oxen for the heavy moving of the earth . 6
Dearborn ’ s goal was to achieve a balance between nature and art . His plan called for “ isolated graves , and tombs … surmounted with columns , obelisks , and other appropriate monuments of granite and marble .” 7 A later plan by Wadsworth rendered in 1846 , by which time Mount Auburn had grown to 110 ½ acres , shows the placement of new lots dispersed throughout the Cemetery . Dearborn ’ s design concepts would establish the model for subsequent rural cemeteries around the country .
While Mount Auburn ’ s dynamic landscape , now 175 acres , has evolved over time , the orientation of undulating paths and avenues and the sensitive balance of art and nature remain constant . Much of the credit for the Cemetery ’ s abiding beauty comes from Dearborn ’ s enduring design — a vision that Mount Auburn continues to preserve and generations of visitors have cherished . In an address on Dearborn ’ s life and character , the Reverend George Putnam wrote :“ With an eye so keen to detect the beautiful , and a heart so warmly loving it , he knew how to make the most of every nook and dell , the tangled bog , the sandy level , the abrupt declivity , every tree and shrub and rock . In a word , he , after God , created Mount Auburn .” 8
4
Manuscript letter from H . A . S . Dearborn , 18 January 1842 , included in “ Constitution , Reports , Addresses , and Other Publications in Relation to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and the Cemetery at Mount Auburn from 1829 to 1837 .”
5
Arthur J . Krim ,“ The Origins of Mount Auburn Cemetery Design Process , 1820-1835 ” ( Paper presented at the Arnold Arboretum , 12 October 1983 ), 17 .
6
John B . Russell quoted in Robert Manning , History of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society , 1829-1878 ( Boston : Rand , Avery & Company , 1880 ), 90 .
7
Henry A . S . Dearborn ,“ Account of the Proceedings , in relation to the Experimental Garden and the Cemetery of Mount Auburn ,” Massachusetts Horticultural Society Transactions ( 1831 ), 68 .
8
George Putnam , An Address Delivered Before the City Government and Citizens of Roxbury on the Life and Character of the Late Henry A . S . Dearborn , Mayor of the City , September 3 , 1851 ( Roxbury : Norfolk Country Journal Press , 1851 ), 12 .
2016 Volume 2 | 3