Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn In Celebration of 175 Years

Sweet Auburn A publication of the Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery 580 Mount Auburn Street Cambridge, MA 02138 617-547-7105 www.mountauburn.org Editorial Committee Priscilla P. Morris, Editor Vice President of Development Stephen H. Anable, Managing Editor Communications Coordinator & Writer William C. Clendaniel, Contributing Editor Trustee & President, Mount Auburn Cemetery Candace Currie Project Manager, Mapping & Planning Bree Detamore Harvey Director of Public Programs Jennifer J. Johnston, Photo Editor Development Technical Assistant & Photographer Dawnielle Peck Visitor Services Specialist Meg Winslow Curator of Historical Collections Designer Elizabeth Bonadies Printer P+R Publications, Inc. Cover: 19th-century granite goddess on Gay family monument on Rosebay Avenue (Photo by Jennifer Johnston) Trustees of the Friends of Mount Auburn Ann M. Roosevelt, Chair, Cambridge, MA Mary Lee Aldrich, Cambridge Clemmie Cash, Wellesley, MA William C. Clendaniel, Boston Thomas C. Cooper, Watertown, MA Caroline Loughlin, Weston, MA Caroline Mortimer, Cambridge Susan Paine, Cambridge The Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery was established in 1986 to assist in the conservation of the Cemetery’s natural beauty and to promote the appreciation of its cultural, historic and natural resources. Organized in 1990 as a 501(c)3 non- profit charitable trust, the Friends seeks financial support from its members, other individuals, foundations, corporations and public agencies. It receives gifts for educational and interpretive programs and materials for the public, specific cultural projects, and operating support for horticultural rejuvenation and the preservation of the historic monuments, structures, and archival artifacts and records. The Friends has over 1,300 active members. ii | Sweet Auburn President’s Corner We are now more than halfway through Mount Auburn’s celebration of its 175 th year, and this expanded issue of Sweet Auburn brings you many images of the varied events that have enlivened the past few months. From the presentation of resolutions from the Senate and House at the State House in June, recognizing the Cemetery’s contributions to the life of the Commonwealth over 175 years, to the moving ceremo- ny on Bigelow Chapel Lawn in September commemorating the 175 th Anniversary of the consecration, from the unveiling of the restored chancel window in Bigelow Cha- pel to the Gates, Ledbetter, Dobkin Hall, and Dearinger lectures at the Boston Public Library in October, January, February and March respectively, hundreds of people have joined our Trustees and staff in recogniz- ing the many ways in which the Cemetery enriches our lives. We are deeply grateful to our cultural partners, speakers, musicians, artists, conservators and historians who, together with our Trustees, staff and donors, have made these special events and projects Bill Clendaniel in front of a portrait of possible. Israel Munson Spelman, President of the Cemetery from 1874-1905 Also running through this issue of Sweet Auburn is a timeline of significant and interest- ing events in the history of the Cemetery, helping to remind us how this “new Ameri- can landscape” grew from an intellectual concept into a physical, vibrant institution that preserves countless cultural treasures from three centuries—plantings, architecture, art, archives—and serves an ever-broader community—clients and visitors, both on-site and increasingly over the web. This mission of preservation and service, which has run throughout our 175 years, is the focus of this issue’s main article, 175 Years of Stewardship: Looking Backward and Moving Forward. Many more 175 th Anniversary events are yet to come in 2007—including the remaining lectures in our “Facets of Mount Auburn: Celebrating 175 Years of a Boston Jewel” series at the Boston Public Library and the Gala Dinner in the Cemetery on June 14, which promises to be a truly “once in a lifetime” occasion. We hope you will join us at these events, which will help many more people appreciate Mount Auburn’s role in the development of our state and nation, its contribution to our cultural life today, and the Cemetery’s need for a broader base of support so that its exemplary record of “preservation and service” can continue long into the future. William C. Clendaniel, President pg. 1 pg. 7 pg. 12 President’s Corner

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