Mount Auburn Cemetery : 180 Years Old and Going Strong
By David P . Barnett , President & CEO
On September 24 , 2011 , we celebrated the 180th anniversary of the founding of Mount Auburn . It was on this exact date in 1831 that Associate Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story delivered the consecration address that established Mount Auburn as the first “ rural cemetery ” in the nation .
Joseph Story , along with Jacob Bigelow and the rest of our founders , had the foresight and vision in 1831 to pursue the bold and innovative concept that a cemetery could serve as a place for families to bury and commemorate their loved ones , while at the same time it could be designed as a place of great natural beauty and inspiration for the public to enjoy .
The concept proved to be a huge success , as Mount Auburn very quickly became both a popular tourist destination and cemetery . Mount Auburn thus started what became known as the rural cemetery movement , as the concept was duplicated in major cities throughout North America . The popularity of rural cemeteries , in turn , led to the public parks movement , starting with New York ’ s Central Park in 1857 and later the Emerald Necklace here in Boston , and all the parks around the country that are so important to our society today . Mount Auburn is now recognized as a National Historic Landmark because of its major influence on our nation .
And today we are still very much an active cemetery , providing a high level of service to families at their time
of need , while we also work to preserve and enhance the character of this historically significant landscape . We often summarize our mission as one of “ preservation and service with excellence and innovation .”
This brings me back to our 180th Anniversary Celebration on September 24th . We hosted about 75 friends and supporters for a reception at Bigelow Chapel followed by a walk to Consecration Dell , the site of Joseph Story ’ s address . Rob Velella , a literary historian and playwright specializing in American literature of the 19th century , joined me in leading the walk , and his role was to read excerpts from Mr . Story ’ s 1831 Consecration Address . Story was the first president of Mount Auburn Cemetery , and I had the distinct privilege ( as the 12th president of Mount Auburn ) to respond to Joseph Story ’ s words and describe how we are indeed still carrying out the vision of our founders . To say that it was a “ privilege ” does not adequately describe how inspired I felt to be standing in the very spot that Justice Story stood 180 years ago to deliver an impassioned speech in front of the 2,000 people who came to witness the consecration of this exciting new place called Mount Auburn .
For this 180th Anniversary event we walked around Consecration Dell , stopping in three places to hear Rob Velella deliver the words of Joseph Story , followed by my own remarks in response . On the next three pages , excerpts from Joseph Story ’ s Consecration Address are on the left and my own words are on the right .
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