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News & Events, July 2009
Dear Friend,
The Friends of Mount Auburn is pleased to present the July 2009 edition of our electronic newsletter. We invite you to join our email list to receive this mailing on a monthly basis. If you haven't done so already, click the link above to verify your interest in receiving our newsletter. To ensure that you continue to receive emails from us, add friends@mountauburn.org to your address book today.
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 Cornerstones and Collections
The Cambridge Historical Society, the Longfellow National Historic Site and Mount Auburn Cemetery invite you to join us for a free special behind-the-scenes tour of our archival collections on Wednesday, July 15th at 5:00 PM.
Curators and Archivists from each site will show highlights from their extensive collections of archival manuscripts, photographs and ephemera. The program will focus on the many connections between our institutions, with architecture as a unifying theme.
Space for this program is limited and advanced registration is required. To take part, please register with the Cambridge Historical Society: rsvp@cambridgehistory.org. Be sure to include your name and contact information in your email.
Image courtesy of Mount Auburn Cemetery Archives: Stereoview of Bigelow Chapel with horses, carriages and Sphinx on Decoration Day.
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Horticultural Highlight
Text and Photo by Jim Gorman, Mount Auburn Docent
Koelreuteria paniculata, the goldenrain tree, is reason enough to visit Mount Auburn Cemetery sometime this month.
One of our favorite summer blooming trees, it will definitely catch your attention as you pass by any one of the numerous members of this genus planted throughout our landscape.
The arresting visual attraction, the abundant bright yellow flowers give this tree its common name. While each individual flower is only about ½ inch in size they are arranged on upright panicles 12 to 15 inches long and wide and cover the trees with feathery golden veils. These flowers will last ten to fourteen days depending on how hot it is and, dare we say, how much rain July may bring.
Native to northern China where in the past it had been planted at the tombs of feudal nobility, around palaces and in large and small gardens, this tree was introduced into western cultivation in England in 1763 and into North America sometime later. The genus name is dedicated to Joseph Gottlieb Koelreuter (1733-1806), who was a professor of natural history, curator of the botanical garden at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany and one of the first plant hybridists.
Once the summer floral display has ceased, there is more botanical interest yet to come. The succeeding fruit is aesthetically notable, a three-sided parchment-like capsule holding two or three black pea-shaped seeds. This initially chartreuse colored Chinese lantern-shaped seed capsule covers the trees in August. Drying to a light tan, then eventually a brown color, some of these capsules persist on the tree until the following spring.
Thomas Jefferson's (1743-1826) Monticello is among the early documented historical records of goldenrain tree plantings in the United States. With a tree having such a spectacular floral display it is not hard to imagine that Jacob Bigelow (1787-1879), a man dedicated to horticulture, medicine and a founder of Mount Auburn Cemetery, or Henry Dearborn (1783-1851), Mount Auburn's landscape designer and the first president (1829-1834) of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society could have obtained these trees for early cemetery plantings.
The goldenrain tree is number 51 on the "Unusual Trees of Mount Auburn" map. On your next visit, you may view goldenrain trees on Central, Elm, Chestnut, Lime, or Spruce Avenues, Meadow Road, Cardinal Path, Heath Path and several other locations at the Cemetery. Learn more about Mount Auburn's horticultural collections.
Join Volunteer Jim Gorman or President Dave Barnett on a summer tour of Mount Auburn:
Beat the Summer Heat: We've Got it Made in the Shade - a summer walking tour of the Cemetery with Mount Auburn Docent and Boston Architectural College Lecturer Jim Gorman on Sunday, July 12th at 2:00 PM. Attendees will visit 200-year-old oaks, spectacular mature beech trees, as well as shady areas of Spruce Knoll, Consecration Dell and other cool spots within the Cemetery's expansive landscape. $5 for members of the Friends, $10 for non-members
Summer Blooming Trees and Shrubs - an early-evening walking tour with Mount Auburn Cemetery President Dave Barnett on Tuesday, July 21st at 5:30 PM. This early-evening walking tour will observe the ornamental trees and shrubs that show off their flowers in July. Learn about the many plants available that provide summer beauty and interest. The culture and use of these plants in your garden will be discussed. Rain or shine. $5 for members of the Friends, $10 for non-members
"Big Trees at Mount Auburn" and "Unusual Trees of Mount Auburn" maps are available for purchase at the Entrance Gate to the Cemetery.
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 Friends of Mount Auburn Summer Programs
Discover Mount Auburn Cemetery - Join us on Saturday, July 4th at 2:00 PM for a 1.5-mile walking tour which will focus on history, monuments, and the lives of those buried here. Mount Auburn, designated a National Historic Landmark, is one of the country's most significant designed landscapes. Here the arts of horticulture, architecture and sculpture combine with the beauty of nature to create a place of comfort and inspiration. $5 for members of the Friends, $10 for non-members.
Mount Auburn Book Club - Combine your passion for books with your love of Mount Auburn by joining the Mount Auburn Book Club on Thursday, July 9th at 10:00 AM. This month, we will discuss Hatching Magic by Ann Downer (2004). In this fantasy book, Wyvern the dragon is looking for a place to lay her egg and steps into a bolt-hole that transports her from 13th century England to 21st century Boston...where she makes her nest at Mount Auburn! The book is reading level appropriate for grades 4-7, but all ages are welcome! Meet at Story Chapel. FREE.
Butterflies and Dragonflies Walking Tour - Join Jeremiah Trimble, Curatorial Associate, Ornithology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University on Wednesday, July 22nd at 11:00 AM for a leisurely walk around Mount Auburn. We will explore the varied habitats from pond edges to wildflower patches to seek out the various types of butterflies and dragonflies that can be found in the Cemetery. From Swallowtails to Skippers, Skimmers to Bluets there should be plenty to keep our attention and plenty to learn about. In the case of inclement weather, the program will be held on Wednesday, July 29th. $5 for members of the Friends, $10 for non-members.
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Birds & Birding at Mount Auburn
The American Goldfinch
Text by Robert H. Stymeist, Photo by Jeremiah Trimble
The Goldfinch is perhaps one of the most familiar and appreciated songbirds in our area. The noted ornithologist Frank Chapman wrote: "Panoplied in jet and gold the merry, care-free goldfinches flit in the summer sunshine. They wander happily about, singing, wooing, mating, eating, drinking and bathing all summer without family worries."
When almost all other songbirds have become quiet and are busy tending young the Goldfinch continues to sing and is very conspicuous all summer. The Goldfinch is unique among the finch family because they undergo a complete molt both in the fall and again in the spring. From the moment the Goldfinch molts in the early spring the male seems like he is always singing, certainly the longest courtship of any songbird. The bounding undulating flight of the Goldfinch is so familiar even in the winter when it flies over calling "potato-chip, potato-chip."
Being a member of the finch family, the Goldfinch is almost exclusively a seed-eater. Its' conical bill is adapted to remove seeds from plants and trees. The Goldfinch uses its feet, climbing like an acrobat on plants such as Bee Balm and Thistle to get seeds. One of the best places to see the Goldfinch up close in Mount Auburn is at the Butterfly Garden at Willow Pond and at the Wildflower Meadow at Washington Tower. The Goldfinches seem oblivious to us as they concentrate on feeding.
The Goldfinch has a short nesting season rarely producing a second brood. In our area, nesting begins in mid to late July. As a result of this late breeding, Brown-headed Cowbirds are not much of a problem and if a cowbird does lay an egg in a goldfinch nest, the young cowbird very rarely survives because of the goldfinches preference for seeds and almost no insects.
In the fall Goldfinches congregate in large flocks in weedy fields often twittering to each other. Goldfinches are easily attracted to your yard with bird feeders they especially like thistle (or black Niger) seeds.
____________________ Birds and Birding at Mount Auburn Cemetery: An Introductory Guide is regularly available for purchase at the Cemetery from 8:30 AM to 4 PM everyday (except holidays). The cost is $8.00. Copies are available by mail order by sending payment to the Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery, ATT: Bird Guide, 580 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. Please include the cost $8.00, plus $2.00 for mailing and handling (total $10) for each copy ordered.
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 Beautiful, Timeless & Still Available
Mount Auburn is still a unique choice for burial and commemoration. We offer a variety of innovative interment and memorialization options: traditional earth burial for caskets or cremated remains, indoor or outdoor niches for cremated remains, and outdoor garden crypts for caskets and urns.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 Understanding Cremation - a free presentation at Bigelow Chapel on Saturday, July 18th at 1:00 PM. Mount Auburn Crematory Manager, Walter Morrison, Jr., will answer any questions you may have about cremation procedures and costs. After the presentation at Bigelow Chapel, there will be an opportunity to tour the crematory.
Learn more about Mount Auburn's many burial and memorialization options at Beautiful, Timeless and Still Available - a free presentation and driving tour of the Cemetery on Thursday, July 23rd at 5:00 PM. We will begin in Story Chapel and then proceed by van to explore the summer beauty of this historic landscape. Experience how contemporary landscape design and architecture are shaping the burial spaces for the 21st-century. The driving tour will end at Bigelow Chapel for a brief tour of the Cemetery's oldest chapel. Limited enrollment. Preregistration required.
"Natural burials" have been getting lots of media attention lately, but Mount Auburn hasn't had many requests for "green burials." Please join Candace Currie, Director of Planning & Sustainability at Mount Auburn on Thursday, July 30th at 5:00 PM for Shades of Green a lively discussion on the meaning(s) of 'Green Burial' for you. This program is free, but preregistration is required.
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 Mount Auburn: July History Highlight
Remembering a Revolutionary War Veteran
Photo & research by Brian Sullivan,
Mount Auburn Cemetery Archivist On a gentle slope above Halcyon Lake here at Mount Auburn Cemetery (Lime Avenue, Lot 4143), there is a tablet to the memory of a soldier of the American Revolution:
"To the memory of Captain Josiah Cleaveland, of Owego, N.Y., this tablet is erected by those among whom he departed this life, and who felt respect for his private virtues and gratitude for his public services. He was born at Canterbury, Conn., Dec. 3, 1753. He died at Charlestown, Mass., June 30, 1843. He was an officer of the Army of Freedom. He served his country bravely and faithfully through the whole war of the Revolution. He fought her battles at Bunker Hill, Harlem Heights, White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Monmouth, and Yorktown. He sustained an unblemished reputation, and lived in the practice of every Christian virtue. He loved, feared, and served God. In the ninetieth year of his age he journeyed nearly five hundred miles from his home to be present at the celebration of the completion of the monument on Bunker Hill [June 17, 1843]. He lived to witness that memorable spectacle. He was satisfied. He laid down quietly, and yielded up his breath near the scene of his first conflict with the enemies of his country. He came among strangers; he died among friends."
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If you would like to assist us in preserving important historical information, please join us for a Monument Inscription Workshop at 2:00 PM on Sunday, July 26th.
Participants in our Monument Inscription Workshops review and practice techniques for deciphering inscriptions on Mount Auburn's 19th-century monuments that are disappearing as marble wears away and brownstone disintegrates. Workshops are held outdoors - please wear proper clothing and plenty of sunscreen. Meet at the Entrance Gate. FREE.
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Think green. Do not print this email and you will help to conserve valuable resources. Thank you!
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You can now join or renew your membership in the Friends of Mount Auburn quickly, securely and easily online! The Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery was established in 1986 as a non-profit educational trust to promote the appreciation and preservation of Mount Auburn. Join the Friends of Mount Auburn. Learn about volunteer opportunities at Mount Auburn.
Mount Auburn Cemetery is still a unique choice for burial and commemoration. It offers a wide variety of innovative interment and memorialization options for all. Learn about Mount Auburn's many burial and memorialization options. |
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Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery
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email: friends@mountauburn.org
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