Mount Auburn Notables : Heroes of Habitat by Bree Detamore Harvey , Director of Public Programs
Charles Eliot ( 1859 – 1897 )
Landscape architect , writer and creator of the Trustees of Public Reservations concept .
Born in Cambridge , Charles Eliot was the son of Harvard President Charles W . Eliot and Ellen Derby Peabody Eliot . As a child , Eliot developed an appreciation of landscapes that would last for the rest of his life . He graduated from Harvard in 1882 and continued his studies in landscape history and design at Harvard ’ s Bussey Institute .
After a two-year apprenticeship under Frederick Law Olmsted ( 1883-1884 ) and a year of travel to study the great designed landscapes of Europe ( 1885 ), Eliot established his own landscape architecture practice in Boston in 1886 . In 1893 he joined the Olmsted firm as a partner . A prolific writer , he devoted much of his time writing to increase public awareness about land conservation and environmentalism .
Eliot ’ s greatest legacy is his work to protect open spaces for all people for generations to come . In 1891 he laid the groundwork for the creation of The Trustees of Public Reservations , the first private , tax-exempt , statewide conservancy in America that served as the model for the creation of Great Britain ’ s National Trust . Eliot also worked to protect open space in Boston as chief landscape architect for the Boston Metropolitan Park Commission .
Eliot died of meningitis at the age of 37 and is buried with his wife and his brother ’ s family on Amethyst Path at Mount Auburn . Following his death , Harvard established a course in landscape architecture and memorialized Eliot with the Charles Eliot Professorship and the Charles Eliot Traveling Fellowship .
Harriet Lawrence Hemenway ( 1857 – 1960 )
Founder of the Massachusetts Audubon Society .
Born in Boston to a life of privilege and high society , Harriet Lawrence Hemenway dedicated herself in the late 19th century to protecting native and migratory birds after reading a graphic account of the slaughter of millions of birds annually . More than 50 species of birds were being killed to supply the fashion industry with feathers , a popular accessory at the time on women ’ s clothing and hats . Hemenway and her cousin Minna Hall organized a series of “ teas ” to convince Boston ’ s fashionable women to trade their feathers for ribbons and other millinery ornaments . Through their efforts , Hemenway and Hall convinced 900 women to join their cause .
“ Five O ’ Clock Tea ” from Harper ’ s Bazar , February 1893 .
Photo courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Libraries , Washington , DC .
In 1896 Hemenway invited men from Boston ’ s scientific community to join her group to establish the Massachusetts Audubon Society , the first organization in the country devoted to bird conservation and public education . Within a year , similar organizations were chartered in ten additional states and in Washington , D . C .
Hemenway continued working to protect native and migratory birds for the rest of her life . She lobbied for national legislation to outlaw the trade of wild bird feathers and helped to secure land for the creation of bird sanctuaries around the state of Massachusetts .
Hemenway died in 1960 at 103 years of age . She was buried in the Hemenway family lot on Thistle Path at Mount Auburn .
Annual Service of Commemoration to be held on Bigelow Chapel Lawn Saturday , May 27 , 2006 .
4 | Sweet Auburn
Mount Auburn cordially invites you to remember the lives of friends and loved ones at our 15th annual Service of Commemoration to be held on Saturday , May 27 , 1:30 PM . We set aside this time to celebrate the lives of many who have gone before us and to experience the uniqueness of Mount Auburn as a memorial of living beauty and peace . Religious and community representatives will lead the ceremony to be held outdoors on the lawn in front of Bigelow Chapel . Music will be provided by The Brass Consortium . After the service , refreshments will be served . All are invited . For more information , call 617-547-7105 . ( In case of rain , the Service will be held indoors .)