Connectng our Past , Present , and Future …
Friends gather to pay their respects to food entrepreneur , Arthur Cores , in December of 2009 . Photo by Ni Rong .
Cemetery Services : Connecting Communities
By Jim Holman , Director of Cemetery Services
The Cemetery Services Department at Mount Auburn provides immediate or preneed assistance to families , friends , and funeral providers in planning the disposition and commemoration of the dead . Disposition may mean the burial of remains , cremation with burial , or inurnment of cremated remains . Commemoration can include everything from services for the deceased in one of our beautiful and historic chapels , large or small gatherings at the grave , or recognition of individuals on memorial tree or bench plaques . Cemeteries continually remind us that a life has been lived — however brief or extended — regardless of how many were touched over its course or may be left behind to grieve the loss . Mount Auburn reinforces the value of burial and remembrance , an age-old tradition that has lately become underappreciated .
Repeated visitors to Mount Auburn eventually become familiar with its intricate pattern of roads and paths . Some may develop an impression of the Cemetery as a solemn and beautiful city made up of multiple neighborhoods , each with its own texture or fabric . Landmarks , either natural or man-made , form indelible impressions that guide repeated exploration of the larger landscape . A pond , tree , or impressive monument , together with the wildlife one may encounter , and possibly a pleasant interaction with staff , will all help one formulate a roadmap of the Mount Auburn community . Mrs . Rachel Mangano , recently interred at Mount Auburn , is an example of someone who was very familiar with not just the landscape of the Cemetery , but with the staff as well . In her life she had been a regular visitor of Mount Auburn since 1969 after her husband was buried here .
Throughout the years she had established relationships with members of the grounds crew among other Cemetery employees . Her son , Philip , wrote in a letter to President David Barnett that “ These emissaries , from front office to grounds people , ensured the levels of professional and personal care that mark any great endeavor , and attend to the storied legacy of Mount Auburn Cemetery – not just in its magnificent landscape , but through its magnanimous personnel . We count ourselves fortunate that our family began its relationship with Mount Auburn more than four decades ago .”
Our Cemetery Services staff use their astute knowledge of this diverse landscape as they guide families with their purchases of burial space from available areas . These families soon come to be associated with both those they bury and with the part of Mount Auburn where they have purchased space , thus strengthening a sense of Mount Auburn as not merely a cemetery , but as a vibrant cemetery community . The design and installation of several new burial areas in the decade before last reinforced a sense of community at Mount Auburn . Being part of the design process has allowed staff to meet initial purchasers in these locations as well as customers purchasing the last available burial spaces several years later . These initial sales are presently occurring at our new Birch Gardens burial area . Eventually , Birch Gardens will be woven into the distinct neighborhood fabric of Mount Auburn .
Conclusion
As we approach our 180th anniversary , Mount Auburn has become a vibrant and vital public resource , and will continue to evolve into an even greater community treasure as time goes on . Reflecting upon both our physical and our profoundly intangible place within the boundaries of Cambridge and Watertown , we carry with us the resources and relationships that we have fostered throughout the decades .
Our founders and those after them upheld the intention to preserve the monuments , horticultural collections , and historical riches for the generations that followed . As the Cemetery ’ s current stewards , we have the same responsibility to ensure that Mount Auburn ’ s landscape , facilities , and service to those whose families are buried here as well as to the greater community not only endure , but flourish . Our future vision for the expansion of our facilities will allow us to continue our quality of service and maintenance , protect our legacy , maintain our leadership , and build even more pathways of connections , thus linking ourselves inextricably to the world around us .
1
Bigelow , Jacob . History of the Cemetery of Mount Auburn , Boston and Cambridge , James Munroe and Company , 1860 , pg . 73 .
2
Mount Auburn Cemetery & Emery & Garrett Groundwater , Inc ., Water Conservation and Drought Management Plan , 2003 , pg . 1 .
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