Dr. Barnett's appointment ends a year-long national search to find Mount Auburn's new president. The Mount Auburn Trustee Presidential Search Committee concluded that the best person for the position was already at the Cemetery and deeply committed to the institution.

Dr. Barnett has been at Mount Auburn for over 15 years, serving the institution in many critical capacities. He came to Mount Auburn in 1993 as the Director of Horticulture. In 1999 he became the Cemetery's first Vice President of Operations & Horticulture and in January 2008 he was appointed Mount Auburn's first Executive Vice President. He became Acting President July 1, 2008, on the retirement of former President William C. Clendaniel.

Dr. Barnett is nationally known throughout the horticultural community. He is currently Past President (2007-09) of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA), having previously been President (2005-07), Vice President (2003-05), Chair of the Host Committee for the 2003 Annual Conference held in Boston, and chair of other standing committees since 1992.

Learn more about Mount Auburn Cemetery's new President.

Photo of David Barnett taken by Michael Dwyer, AP.

Known for withstanding poor soils and harsh climates in highly urbanized environments, the Chinese Elm is also resistant to both the elm leaf beetle and Dutch elm disease - both of which have been highly destructive to the American Elm tree.

Stop by Birch Gardens, our newest interment landscape and visit the graceful vase-shaped Ulmus parvifolia with mottled red-brown, green, orange and tan bark. As the colder temperatures of autumn approach, notice the small, shiny serrated leaves of the tree as they are transformed into various shades of red, yellow and purple.

Learn more about Mount Auburn's horticultural collections.

Cremation is an increasingly popular alternative to casket burial. Mount Auburn, which has the first crematory in New England to be operated by a cemetery, conducted its first cremation in 1900. We now perform over 900 cremations annually.

Join us for a free presentation about cremation at Bigelow Chapel on Saturday, October 11th, at 1:00 PM. Mount Auburn Crematory Manager Walter L. Morrison, Jr., will answer any questions that you may have about cremation procedures and costs. After the presentation at Bigelow Chapel, there will be an opportunity to tour the crematory.

Please register online for this and other programs at Mount Auburn.

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On Thursday, October 9th, at 10:00 AM, the Mount Auburn Book Club will discuss Where Death and Glory Meet: Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Infantry by Russell Duncan (University of Georgia Press, 1999). Although not buried here, Colonel Shaw is remembered in his family's lot on Pine Avenue. Meet at Story Chapel. FREE.

Join us on Saturday, October 18, at 2:00 PM for "The Hawaiian Connection: A Family's Journey" - a talk and walk by Susan E. Pitman, Social Historian. The journey of Benjamin Pitman, from Boston to Hawaii in the 19th-century was filled with incredible opportunities and great adventures. A slide presentation will be followed by a walking tour to the Pitman family lots. Meet at Bigelow Chapel. $5 for members of the Friends, $10 for non-members.

On Sunday, October 19th, at 2:00 PM, Social Historian Jane Goodrich will lead "The Company He Kept: George Nixon Black, Jr., and his Circle" - a walking tour. Seared by the Civil War and cemented by the bonds of benevolent goals, George Nixon Black, Jr., and his circle of friends helped build many of Boston's most beloved institutions. $5 for members of the Friends, $10 for non-members.

Join us on Monday, October 20th, or on Saturday, October 25th, at 2:00 PM for "Awash in Color" - a fall foliage walking tour with Kelley Sullivan, Horticultural Staff, Mount Auburn. We will visit some of the more colorful trees in our landscape in addition to looking for the plants and shrubs putting out their fall fruits and nuts. Rain or shine. $5 for members of the Friends, $10 for non-members.

On Wednesday, October 22nd, at 9:30 AM volunteers are invited to join our gardening staff for our annual "Bulb Planting at Mount Auburn" - helping us to add blooms to Mount Auburn's early spring season. Bring work gloves and trowels along with lots of energy and enthusiasm. FREE. In the event of inclement weather this program will be held on Thursday, October 23rd.

Visit mountauburn.org to learn about our free Brown Bag Lunch Series!

Please join us on Saturday, October 25th at 1:00 PM for "Timeless and Available" - a free walking tour with Candace Currie, Director of Planning & Cemetery Development, and Jim Holman, Director of Cemetery Services Administration, at Mount Auburn.

The tour will visit Mount Auburn's active burial areas and discuss memorialization options, including flat makers, upright monuments, and shared memorials. One of the tour's stops will be our newest interment landscape, Birch Gardens, which officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 28th (see photo above).

To learn about Mount Auburn's many burial and memorialization options, please join us for this tour or visit our website.