Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn Mount Auburn: Pathways of Connections | Page 3

Connecting our
Past, Present, and Future…
photo by george mclean
Written by various members of Mount Auburn’s staff with an Introduction and Conclusion by David P. Barnett, President
Edited by Lauren Marsh, Communications, Grants & Events Coordinator
D
uring a recent program entitled “Perpetual Care: Records of Enduring Value,” Curator
of Historical Collections Meg L. Winslow displayed some historic correspondence
between Jacob Bigelow and General H.A.S. Dearborn, two of Mount Auburn’s
founders, which included the letters they wrote back and forth as they were christening the many
paths of the new Cemetery with names like Azalea, Indian Ridge, and Hibiscus. Just then they
were forming this unique landscape into what they had dreamed it would be, creating a
permanent green space to span centuries as a place of solace, beauty, and innovation.
It is difficult to express how each facet of Mount Auburn–
whether related to our horticulture, history, educational
resources, preservation efforts, or ongoing cemetery services–
serves to connect us to the surrounding community and
links together our past, present, and future. I like to think
of these connections as intersecting pathways that change,
grow, and evolve just as those in our physical landscape have.
They keep us rooted to our historic consecration in 1831
as we continue to uphold the intentions of Mount Auburn’s
founders by maintaining this sacred space for the dead and
tranquil haven for the living, a place of both natural and
man-made beauty. Watching children enthusiastically discover
nature in our midst during one of our educational programs
anchors us to the present and extends far into the future as
we nurture a new generation of stewards of this landscape.
Other connections allow us to learn more about those interred
here, their families, and their legacies of which we are now part.
Spring/Summer 2011 | 1