The first garden cemetery in the United States, Mount Auburn revolutionized how Americans honor the dead—and in the process, inspired the creation of public parks like Central Park. Designed as a sanctuary of nature and art, it was a dramatic shift from the cramped, unsanitary graveyards of early Boston, introducing a peaceful, park-like landscape for both mourning and reflection.
Spanning 175 acres, Mount Auburn became the prototype for the rural cemetery movement, blending winding paths, rolling hills, and lush gardens with sculptures, monuments, and mausoleums. The 62-foot Washington Tower offers one of the best panoramic views of Boston, while its diverse plant life makes it a haven for birdwatchers and naturalists.
A National Historic Landmark, Mount Auburn is the final resting place of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Mary Baker Eddy, Julia Ward Howe, Edmonia Lewis, and Felix Frankfurter, among others. It remains a living landscape, evolving with changing traditions of mourning, remembrance, and conservation.