Week 8 November 4: 19th Century – E. 20th Century Architecture, Culture, Religion

    Cambridge, Massachusetts, is home to two vastly different cemeteries that speak to changing American attitudes about death, spirituality, and remembrance. The Old Burial Ground and Mount Auburn Cemetery reflect the shift from a Puritanical, moralistic view of mortality to a more Romantic, individualized approach that celebrates life and the afterlife. Each cemetery captures the cultural and religious ideals of its time, providing insight into the evolving American psyche.

Old Burial Ground 

The Old Burial Ground, established in 1635 in Harvard Square, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Cambridge. Its modest, slate gravestones adorned with symbols of death and judgment echo the Puritan worldview that defined early New England life. For Puritans, death was a constant companion, and life was seen as a preparation for the afterlife. The cemetery reflects this ethos through its minimalistic, somber design and the choice of grave markers.

A notable memorial in the Old Burial Ground is the gravestone of John Hancock’s father, Reverend John Hancock. This stone is carved with a “death’s head”— symbolizing the fleeting nature of life and the swift passage to the afterlife. This image, common in Puritan burial art, is a reminder of mortality and the need for piety and repentance. Gravestones like this served as moral reminders, warning the living of life’s brevity and the judgment that awaited them.

The simplicity of the gravestone mirrors the Puritan values of humility and moral rigor, emphasizing that death is an inevitable transition to be faced with reverence and introspection. There are no personal tributes or sentimental inscriptions here, only symbols of mortality and brief biblical references, speaking to the Puritan conviction that life’s purpose is not personal glory but moral integrity and preparation for divine judgment.

Mt. Auburn Cemetery 

Mount Auburn Cemetery, established in 1831, was the first garden cemetery in the United States, initiating the rural cemetery movement. This cemetery was designed not just as a burial ground but as a landscaped park where people could walk, reflect, and find solace in nature. Its winding paths, ornamental plantings, and artistic memorials reflect a shift from the somber tones of Puritanism to a more Romantic view of death and spirituality.

Mount Auburn represented a departure from the Old Burial Ground’s grim reminders. Here, death was approached with a sense of beauty and transcendence, inviting visitors to contemplate life’s continuity with nature and the afterlife. The garden-like setting symbolizes an optimistic view, embracing nature as a place of comfort and reflection. This shift aligns with the 19th-century Romantic ideals of beauty, individualism, and reverence for life’s cycle.

One of the prominent memorials in Mount Auburn is the monument dedicated to Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, erected in 1910. Unlike Reverend Hancock’s gravestone, Eddy’s monument is grand, polished, and serene, a testament to her influence and legacy. With a focus on honoring her life’s contributions rather than reminding viewers of death, the monument embodies the cultural shift toward celebrating individuality and achievement.

The monument’s design emphasizes tranquility and eternal rest, with inscriptions that reflect a belief in continuity and peace after death. The peaceful placement in a garden setting aligns with the Romantic ideal of nature as a place of reflection and the cemetery as a sanctuary for both the dead and the living.

Reflecting Cultural Shifts

Mount Auburn Cemetery and its memorials reflect the late 19th and early 20th-century embrace of Romanticism and Transcendentalist ideals. This period saw a shift from the Puritanical view of death as a stern passage to one of comfort and personal reflection. While Puritans saw death as a somber moral reminder, 19th-century Americans began to view it as a part of nature’s cycle, where individual legacy could be celebrated and honored.

Memorials like the Mary Baker Eddy monument showcase an optimism about the afterlife, moving away from judgment and punishment toward a universal sense of peace. Mount Auburn’s design—a tranquil, natural landscape—emphasizes this comforting view, offering a beautiful setting where life and death are seamlessly connected.

A Cambridge Counterpart: Christ Church

An example of a Cambridge building that reflects similar values to Mount Auburn Cemetery is Christ Church Cambridge. Originally built in 1761 and later renovated in the Gothic Revival style, Christ Church mirrors Mount Auburn’s ideals by combining Colonial simplicity with later 19th-century Romanticism. The church’s Gothic Revival elements—such as pointed arches and stained glass—add a sense of reverence and spiritual elevation, symbolizing a move toward a more emotionally resonant spirituality.

Much like Mount Auburn, Christ Church represents a cultural shift toward a spirituality that combines historical reverence with Romantic ideals. This style evokes awe and introspection, fostering a connection with the divine that aligns with the cemetery’s emphasis on peace, beauty, and continuity between life and death.