Joseph Story :
“ A rural Cemetery seems to gratify human feelings , or tranquilize human fears ; to secure the best religious influences , and to cherish all those associations which cast a cheerful light over the darkness of the grave . And what spot can be more appropriate than this , for such a purpose ? Nature seems to point it out with significant energy , as the favorite retirement for the dead . There are around us all the varied features of her beauty and grandeur — the forest-crowned height ; the abrupt acclivity ; the sheltered valley ; the deep glen ; the grassy glade ; and the silent grove . Here are the lofty oak , the beech , the rustling pine , and the drooping willow ;— the tree , that sheds its pale leaves every autumn , a fit emblem of our own transitory bloom ; and the evergreen , with its perennial shoots . Here is the thick shrubbery to protect and conceal the new-made grave ; and there is the wild-flower creeping along the narrow path , and planting its seeds in the upturned earth . All around us there breathes a solemn calm , as if we were in the bosom of a wilderness , broken only by the breeze as it murmurs through the tops of the forest , or by the notes of the warbler pouring forth his evening song .
… And we are met here to consecrate this spot , by these solemn ceremonies , to such a purpose : as a Rural Cemetery or Burying-Ground , and to plant and embellish it with shrubbery , and flowers , and trees , and walks , and other rural ornaments . And I stand here by the order and in behalf of this Society , to declare that , by these services , it is to be deemed henceforth and forever so dedicated . Mount Auburn , in the noblest sense , belongs no longer to the living , but to the dead . It is a sacred , it is an eternal trust . It is consecrated ground . May it remain forever inviolate !”
Photo by Joseph Martinez
David Barnett : As I hear Joseph Story ’ s words from 180 years ago describing this very spot in which we stand , I am struck by how similar it appears today . So much of what he mentions — from the forest-crowned height and the sheltered valley to the oak and the rustling pine to the thick shrubbery and the wildflower creeping along the narrow path — are still very much here today . And although we haven ’ t heard “ the warbler pouring forth his evening song ” today , it sure has been fun to see and hear the two young Great Horned Owls that were born here in the Dell this spring .
It is gratifying to observe the success of the work we have done over the last several years to restore this area to the natural woodland setting that was here in 1831 . We have dramatically improved the habitat value for migrating warblers and other birds each spring and fall , as well as for many nesting species such as the Great Horned Owls whose babies you ’ ve just been observing . The new plantings and other work around the vernal pool have also improved the habitat for an ecologically significant population of Yellow-spotted Salamander , only just recently removed from the “ Special Concern ” species list in Massachusetts . We have been fortunate to receive significant funding from the Ruggiero Memorial Trust , along with a number of other donors , to assist us in these efforts to restore the woodland habitat . As part of this multiyear phased project , we have removed the exotic invasive species such as Norway Maple and Japanese Barberry , along with other non-native species such as Japanese Yew , and replaced them with several thousand plants representing over 100 species of trees , shrubs , groundcovers , and wildflowers that are native to New England .
Photo by John Harrison
And while the Dell has been restored as closely as possible to its natural state , throughout the rest of the grounds we continue to “ plant and embellish with shrubbery , and flowers , and trees , and walks , and other rural ornaments ” in the words of Joseph Story . Several areas , including the garden in front of Bigelow Chapel , have recently been planted in the Victorian-inspired , highly ornate garden style . Other areas have been planted to enhance various historic landscape character zones representing different periods of Mount Auburn ’ s 180-year evolution . In all our planning , horticultural diversity and overall landscape beauty are paramount , just as our founders envisioned .
10 | Sweet Auburn