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.)