Forest Hills Cemetery
95 Forest Hills Ave
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
617.524.0128
Established: 1848
Acres: 275
Official Website
Bella Morte Rating: 5 Tombstones
From the moment one approaches the main entrance to Forest Hills Cemetery, a sense of wonder and anticipation descends. A serpentine roadway must first be traversed and taphophiles will be thrilled to watch “civilization” recede in the rearview mirror as heavy iron fencing and lush foliage beckon all to the well-hidden glories that lie just ahead. And what glories they are!
Established in 1848, Forest Hills Cemetery rightfully boasts a fact so grand it had the proprietors of Bella Morte drooling for months prior to their first-ever excursion into this Massachusetts wonderland. The fact, you ask? Quite simply put, Forest Hills is home to the largest collection of
Click Image To Enter The Forest Hills Cemetery Gallery
Victorian funerary sculpture in the entire USA! Included among this cornucopia of ageless beauty are six (yes, six!) pieces by one of America’s most renowned sculptors, Daniel Chester French. But more on this in a bit. First, a bit of history.
Although visitors today will pass through gates modeled after the 13th century Gothic style, the original cemetery entrance featured an Egyptian motif. Constructed with wood, that gate was finished with a mixture of paint and sand to impart the resemblance of stone. The designer, Henry A.S. Dearborn (one of the co-founders of nearby Mount Auburn Cemetery) indicated his inspiration derived from an ancient Egyptian portico. Be that as it may, the Victorian fondness for all things Egyptian eventually faded and the wooden construction was replaced by the current stonework.
As an aside, it is of interest to note Mr. Dearborn was so enamoured with Forest Hills that, only two days after the cemetery was officially dedicated, he had the bodies of his parents disinterred from Mount Auburn and inhumed at Forest Hills. Three years later, in 1851, Dearborn was himself placed in the same earth, alongside his father and mother.
Unfortunately, after enjoying enormous popularity in its early years, the cemetery began to fall into disrepair. By the early 1900s it was in a sorry state. World War I saw the number of maintenance crew members dwindle drastically and the grounds most assuredly suffered for it. Thousands of trees, which had been meticulously maintained in days gone by, were swallowed by an overgrowth of wild vegetation and grave plots themselves were sorely neglected. This deplorable state of affairs continued unabated until the arrival (in 1995) of Director of Horticulture, Mr. Mark Peters. Mr. Peters immediately set his staff to felling hundreds of ravaged and otherwise unsightly trees. In place of these, many new species of different sizes and ages were planted, thus insuring variety and interest for years to come.
When visiting Forest Hills, be certain to make the office (located at the Morton Street Entrance) your first stop in order to pick up a complimentary map. This will prove invaluable in locating the final resting places of Forest Hills’ many notable residents. These include: Andrew Carney, philanthropist; e.e. cummings, poet; Fanny Davenport, actress; William Lloyd Garrison, abolitionist; Anne Sexton, poet; Lucy Stone, suffragette and Eugene O'Neill, playwright. Of course, many times, the real treasures aren’t found on a map, but, let’s face it, a map will save one from the heartbreak of returning to a distant state or country only to find a favourite author, performer or politician was buried somewhere on the grounds just visited and you missed the grave! [Note: Also available at the office is a book entitled Garden of Memories. This tome features 5 self-guided tours. For those who like to plan ahead, the book may also be ordered and sent via U.S. mail. Guided tours are conducted from spring through autumn. Check on the official website or call the office for specific times.]
Now, let’s return to the heart of the matter, shall we?
Immediately upon passing through the cemetery gate the Magic begins. A looming stone tower, flanked by elegant and mighty trees, pierces the sky. Housed within are bells whose resonant tones mark the idyllic hours spent wandering among the tombs. The tower rests atop an impressive outcropping of Roxbury Puddingstone. This oddly-named rock tempts viewers to suspect it is man-made, though, in fact, the conglomerate is naturally-occurring and has been widely quarried for building purposes throughout the Boston area. We are told the name derives from a supposed-resemblance to an English Christmas Pudding. If that is the case, we at Bella Morte can only say that would be a dessert we would not be at all anxious to sample!
Forest Hill’s first real gem is located by the front gate (almost directly across from the bell tower). It is Daniel Chester French’s, “Death Stays the Hand of the Sculptor.” This dramatic memorial was created to honour the Milmore brothers, Martin and Joseph. Both were sculptors and friends of French. When Martin died from cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 39, French was inspired to create the breathtaking bronze which figuratively depicts the young Martin at the moment of his demise. Death (in the guise of a beautiful female angel) reaches out and stays the chisel held by the artist who, for his part, gazes upon her with a fixed, calm demeanor. Martin is depicted as chiselling a sphinx, a reference on French’s part to the Milmore’s imposing tribute to the fallen Union dead (The Sphinx: A Memorial to the Preservation of the Union) which stands watch over the Bigelow Chapel at Mount Auburn Cemetery.
Amidst tangles of ivy that lie before the monument, a bronze plaque bears the following inscription (composed by Milmore’s sister)
Death And The Sculptor
"Come, stay your hand," Death to the Sculptor cried
Those who are sleeping have not really died.
I am the answer to the stone your fingers
Have carved, the baffling riddle that still lingers
Sphinx unto curious men. So do not fear
This gentle touch. I hold dark poppies here
Whose languid leaves of lethargy will bring
Deep sleep to you, and an incredible spring.
Come with your soul, from earth's still blinded hour.
Mount by my hand the high. The timeless tower
Through me the night and morning are made one.
Your questions answered, your long vigil done,
Who am I? On far paths, no foot has trod.
Some call me Death, but others call me God."
Such beauty! And to think, this is only the first monument to be seen in this necropolis!
Note: While the Milmore’s Sphinx resides at Mount Auburn Cemetery, one has only to travel further into the lush landscape of Forest Hills to see an example of Martin Milmore’s work. We refer to the Roxbury Soldier’s Civil War Monument which is resplendent with truly exquisite detail. To look upon the Union soldier is to become convinced he was once an actual man who was somehow transformed into bronze. It is this figure of a foot soldier that served as the model for myriad Union monuments seen in quaint towns across the country to this day!
While the Milmore Memorial is among the most notable in Forest Hills, angels, dramatically posed mourning figures, busts, reliefs, private mausoleums and stones of myriad shapes and design abound and will richly reward all who have the pleasure of viewing them.
One of the most popular monuments among visitors is that of Louis Ernest Mieusset. This piece, encased in a glass and bronze enclosure, is commonly referred to as “The Boy In The Boat.” Here we behold the lad, immortalized in marble—seated in a charming bark, tennis racquet in hand. In the manner typical of his day, he is attired in an outfit which resembles a short dress. His throat is encircled with a delicate collar and what looks for all the world to be a pearl necklace. Inscribed on the boat's stern (inside) is a single word… “Louis.”
As the story goes, five year old Master Mieusset was playing in his little boat on the 26th of September, 1886 when he espied his pet rabbit hopping on the nearby shore. Determined to bring the “hasenpfeffer" with him on his excursion, the child leaned too far over the bow whereupon he lost his balance and, alas, slipped into his watery grave.
His distraught mother, who brought her son to America from France after having divorced her husband, commissioned the sculpture in his honour. The front of the piece bears the inscription, fils bien aime (i.e. “well-beloved son”). Mademoiselle Mieusset, a woman of some means, would visit the boy’s grave daily, worrying the flowers she'd planted and doting over her silent child. When her fortunes were reversed, she was forced to take a job as a servant, but she faithfully attended to her boy, spending what little she had on flowers and upkeep of his special enclosure. Tragically, in her dotage, she broke her leg in a fall. Complications set in and the once-wealthy womana died a pauper in a county hospital. She was buried in a Potter’s Field in a cemetery whose name is not known to the proprietors of Bella Morte. There her remains rested until her sorry plight was made known to the infamous Boston Mayor James Michael Curly who promptly saw to it that mother and son were reunited beneath the turf at Forest Hills. For reasons lost to antiquity, he did not fund any sort of marker for Mademoiselle Mieusset's grave and thus she lies hidden to all but her son whose own casket moulders nearby.
Legend has it Louis’ grave is attended to this day by an anonymous patron who faithfully leaves flowers…though there is never any sign of his/her comings or goings beyond the blooms themselves!
Another glass-enclosed figure, that of little Grace Sherwood Allen, stands elsewhere in Forest Hills. Like her male counterpart, Gracie departed this life at the age of five, though the cause of her death was whooping cough, not mishap. Her statue has been meticulously maintained and each extraordinary detail remains as if it had been rendered only yesterday.
Keep in mind that, should you chose to visit the cemetery in winter, both figures will be covered to further protect them, so you will miss a treat. Still, Forest Hills contains a genuine embarrassment of riches and, regardless of the season, you will have countless treasures to discover-- from the absolutely overwhelming beauty of the powerful Angel of Peace (White Memorial) to the contemplative figure of Grief (Randidge Memorial)…from the awe-inspiring Chadwick Mausoleum to the unaffected stone that marks the resting place of playwright Eugene O’Neill, Forest Hills has something for every taste.
Each fall, Lake Hibiscus (located near the center of the cemetery) is rendered even more picturesque when its surface is brightened by hundreds of candles during the annual Lantern Festival. This lovely tradition celebrates life and death in accordance with ancient Buddhist traditions. Participants write messages to departed loved ones on paper luminaries which are then illuminated and set to float on the lake’s evening-dark surface creating a spectacle not soon forgotten. The Lantern Festival is well-attended, sometimes boasting more than 3,000 participants!
Sadly, Forest Hills was recently forced to acknowledge the failure of what might best be described as “a noble experiment.” We refer to Fern Hill, an area where, save for a smattering of skimpy fronds by the namesake sign, we espied not a single fern! Instead, pine trees carpet the earth with the heady tang of their needles and venerable rhododendrons splay strangely-contorted branches over the ground. Here, on the crown of a Puddingstone “hill,” stands the abandoned skeleton of the Fern Hill Columbarium, comprised of twisting walls featuring Indian Red Granite-faced niches, several of which have been removed to reveal the familiar concrete honeycomb shape within. It doesn’t take long to locate the places where names and dates have been removed—a mute testament to the aforementioned failure.
It seems sales of niches were not particularly brisk, presumably owing to the relative remoteness of the spot as well as the effort required to gain the summit. Apparently, a number of elderly niche owners were concerned over issues of accessibility as well as the possibility of finding themselves in a situation where help would be required without being easily obtained. Regardless, within a year or two of its opening, the cemetery administrators determined to close Fern Hill. Those individuals who had already purchased saces (pre-need or for deceased loved ones) were given their choice of niches in Forest Hills’ indoor columbarium and the area was abandoned.
Fern Hill was also intended to be used as a scattering garden. It seems this option may have been selected by several individuals before the section’s eventual closing as a number of bronze name plates have been affixed to a stand of aggregate columns located near one of the derelict niche banks. The loneliness of the place, now that it has been deserted and wild vegetation is beginning to take hold, lends even more poignancy to the seemingly-forgotten names.
When visiting Forest Hills, be sure to keep in mind the fact that a Crematory and Columbarium are part of the property. In order to reach the building, however, visitors must cross Walk Hill Street. There, the bronze figure of a thin but muscular man holding a sleeping babe stands amid a well-maintained garden of tropical plants. The building itself is stately, with classical features, Ionic columns, a broad stone porch and a steeply-pitched red slate shingle roof. Inside, the Lucy Stone Chapel and the Pitman Chapel are used for burial and memorial services. If no service is underway, be certain to visit the former where you will be able to see the original Ascending Spirit figure, sculpted by Thomas Ridgeway Gould. Initially, the dramatically posed female figure graced the Gould family plot on Forest Avenue; however, time, weather and the effects of acid rain took their toll and the cemetery administrators eventually commissioned a replica which now stands in place of the original.
When at the crematory, be sure to ask one of the employees to allow you to go downstairs where the oldest part of the columbarium (dating back to 1893) stands. What is remarkable about these niches is the fact that each is covered, not with glass, but with a tiny metal grate which is sealed by a diminutive lock. Incidentally, Lucy Stone (suffragist and women’s rights activist) had her mortal remains inurned at Forest Hills. Hers was the first corpse to be cremated in Massachusetts, though the incineration did not take place immediately after her death. At the time of her passing the crematory was still under construction; thus, her body was held in the cemetery's Receiving Vault for two months. Finally, on 30 December, 1893, Ms. Stone's corpse was consigned to the flames. News of the cremation was widespread as the practice was not yet widely accepted in the United States. The fact that a woman...and one of considerable importance...had chosen this method of "disposal" raised eyebrows and interest. Afterwards, her cremains were inurned and placed in the niche where they rest today.
Upstairs, a number of rooms are filled with glass-fronted niches where urns of various styles and dimensions honour the lives of those who have gone before us. Although there is nothing remarkable about these rooms (all of which are called chapels), the building itself is well-kept and possesses a peaceful atmosphere. It also houses a number of original art works and even the death mask of e.e. cummings who is buried in the cemetery proper.
To date, an other-worldly army of over 100,000 strong has chosen to have their mortal remains committed to the lovely embrace of Forest Hills Cemetery. Space at the cemetery is disappearing at an amazing rate. Indeed, the grounds could reach capacity within 30 years...and, while negotiations have been ongoing with regard to adding acreage from nearby vacant land, no deal has been forthcoming. In other words, if you happen to be interested in choosing Forest Hills as your permanent address, you might want to consider making that investment sooner rather than later!
We at Bella Morte happily spent the better part of 1.5 days roaming the 275 acres of this taphophilic wonderland. There is far too much beauty, intrigue and interest to capture in this brief review, but we recommend visiting, without a single reservation. Be sure to allow yourself PLENTY of time as there is simply so much to see! And don’t forget that Mount Auburn Cemetery(another 5 Tombstone winner) is only a few miles away!
{F}
95 Forest Hills Ave
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
617.524.0128
Established: 1848
Acres: 275
Official Website
Bella Morte Rating: 5 Tombstones
From the moment one approaches the main entrance to Forest Hills Cemetery, a sense of wonder and anticipation descends. A serpentine roadway must first be traversed and taphophiles will be thrilled to watch “civilization” recede in the rearview mirror as heavy iron fencing and lush foliage beckon all to the well-hidden glories that lie just ahead. And what glories they are!
Established in 1848, Forest Hills Cemetery rightfully boasts a fact so grand it had the proprietors of Bella Morte drooling for months prior to their first-ever excursion into this Massachusetts wonderland. The fact, you ask? Quite simply put, Forest Hills is home to the largest collection of
Click Image To Enter The Forest Hills Cemetery Gallery
Victorian funerary sculpture in the entire USA! Included among this cornucopia of ageless beauty are six (yes, six!) pieces by one of America’s most renowned sculptors, Daniel Chester French. But more on this in a bit. First, a bit of history.
Although visitors today will pass through gates modeled after the 13th century Gothic style, the original cemetery entrance featured an Egyptian motif. Constructed with wood, that gate was finished with a mixture of paint and sand to impart the resemblance of stone. The designer, Henry A.S. Dearborn (one of the co-founders of nearby Mount Auburn Cemetery) indicated his inspiration derived from an ancient Egyptian portico. Be that as it may, the Victorian fondness for all things Egyptian eventually faded and the wooden construction was replaced by the current stonework.
As an aside, it is of interest to note Mr. Dearborn was so enamoured with Forest Hills that, only two days after the cemetery was officially dedicated, he had the bodies of his parents disinterred from Mount Auburn and inhumed at Forest Hills. Three years later, in 1851, Dearborn was himself placed in the same earth, alongside his father and mother.
Unfortunately, after enjoying enormous popularity in its early years, the cemetery began to fall into disrepair. By the early 1900s it was in a sorry state. World War I saw the number of maintenance crew members dwindle drastically and the grounds most assuredly suffered for it. Thousands of trees, which had been meticulously maintained in days gone by, were swallowed by an overgrowth of wild vegetation and grave plots themselves were sorely neglected. This deplorable state of affairs continued unabated until the arrival (in 1995) of Director of Horticulture, Mr. Mark Peters. Mr. Peters immediately set his staff to felling hundreds of ravaged and otherwise unsightly trees. In place of these, many new species of different sizes and ages were planted, thus insuring variety and interest for years to come.
When visiting Forest Hills, be certain to make the office (located at the Morton Street Entrance) your first stop in order to pick up a complimentary map. This will prove invaluable in locating the final resting places of Forest Hills’ many notable residents. These include: Andrew Carney, philanthropist; e.e. cummings, poet; Fanny Davenport, actress; William Lloyd Garrison, abolitionist; Anne Sexton, poet; Lucy Stone, suffragette and Eugene O'Neill, playwright. Of course, many times, the real treasures aren’t found on a map, but, let’s face it, a map will save one from the heartbreak of returning to a distant state or country only to find a favourite author, performer or politician was buried somewhere on the grounds just visited and you missed the grave! [Note: Also available at the office is a book entitled Garden of Memories. This tome features 5 self-guided tours. For those who like to plan ahead, the book may also be ordered and sent via U.S. mail. Guided tours are conducted from spring through autumn. Check on the official website or call the office for specific times.]
Now, let’s return to the heart of the matter, shall we?
Immediately upon passing through the cemetery gate the Magic begins. A looming stone tower, flanked by elegant and mighty trees, pierces the sky. Housed within are bells whose resonant tones mark the idyllic hours spent wandering among the tombs. The tower rests atop an impressive outcropping of Roxbury Puddingstone. This oddly-named rock tempts viewers to suspect it is man-made, though, in fact, the conglomerate is naturally-occurring and has been widely quarried for building purposes throughout the Boston area. We are told the name derives from a supposed-resemblance to an English Christmas Pudding. If that is the case, we at Bella Morte can only say that would be a dessert we would not be at all anxious to sample!
Forest Hill’s first real gem is located by the front gate (almost directly across from the bell tower). It is Daniel Chester French’s, “Death Stays the Hand of the Sculptor.” This dramatic memorial was created to honour the Milmore brothers, Martin and Joseph. Both were sculptors and friends of French. When Martin died from cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 39, French was inspired to create the breathtaking bronze which figuratively depicts the young Martin at the moment of his demise. Death (in the guise of a beautiful female angel) reaches out and stays the chisel held by the artist who, for his part, gazes upon her with a fixed, calm demeanor. Martin is depicted as chiselling a sphinx, a reference on French’s part to the Milmore’s imposing tribute to the fallen Union dead (The Sphinx: A Memorial to the Preservation of the Union) which stands watch over the Bigelow Chapel at Mount Auburn Cemetery.
Amidst tangles of ivy that lie before the monument, a bronze plaque bears the following inscription (composed by Milmore’s sister)
Death And The Sculptor
"Come, stay your hand," Death to the Sculptor cried
Those who are sleeping have not really died.
I am the answer to the stone your fingers
Have carved, the baffling riddle that still lingers
Sphinx unto curious men. So do not fear
This gentle touch. I hold dark poppies here
Whose languid leaves of lethargy will bring
Deep sleep to you, and an incredible spring.
Come with your soul, from earth's still blinded hour.
Mount by my hand the high. The timeless tower
Through me the night and morning are made one.
Your questions answered, your long vigil done,
Who am I? On far paths, no foot has trod.
Some call me Death, but others call me God."
Such beauty! And to think, this is only the first monument to be seen in this necropolis!
Note: While the Milmore’s Sphinx resides at Mount Auburn Cemetery, one has only to travel further into the lush landscape of Forest Hills to see an example of Martin Milmore’s work. We refer to the Roxbury Soldier’s Civil War Monument which is resplendent with truly exquisite detail. To look upon the Union soldier is to become convinced he was once an actual man who was somehow transformed into bronze. It is this figure of a foot soldier that served as the model for myriad Union monuments seen in quaint towns across the country to this day!
While the Milmore Memorial is among the most notable in Forest Hills, angels, dramatically posed mourning figures, busts, reliefs, private mausoleums and stones of myriad shapes and design abound and will richly reward all who have the pleasure of viewing them.
One of the most popular monuments among visitors is that of Louis Ernest Mieusset. This piece, encased in a glass and bronze enclosure, is commonly referred to as “The Boy In The Boat.” Here we behold the lad, immortalized in marble—seated in a charming bark, tennis racquet in hand. In the manner typical of his day, he is attired in an outfit which resembles a short dress. His throat is encircled with a delicate collar and what looks for all the world to be a pearl necklace. Inscribed on the boat's stern (inside) is a single word… “Louis.”
As the story goes, five year old Master Mieusset was playing in his little boat on the 26th of September, 1886 when he espied his pet rabbit hopping on the nearby shore. Determined to bring the “hasenpfeffer" with him on his excursion, the child leaned too far over the bow whereupon he lost his balance and, alas, slipped into his watery grave.
His distraught mother, who brought her son to America from France after having divorced her husband, commissioned the sculpture in his honour. The front of the piece bears the inscription, fils bien aime (i.e. “well-beloved son”). Mademoiselle Mieusset, a woman of some means, would visit the boy’s grave daily, worrying the flowers she'd planted and doting over her silent child. When her fortunes were reversed, she was forced to take a job as a servant, but she faithfully attended to her boy, spending what little she had on flowers and upkeep of his special enclosure. Tragically, in her dotage, she broke her leg in a fall. Complications set in and the once-wealthy womana died a pauper in a county hospital. She was buried in a Potter’s Field in a cemetery whose name is not known to the proprietors of Bella Morte. There her remains rested until her sorry plight was made known to the infamous Boston Mayor James Michael Curly who promptly saw to it that mother and son were reunited beneath the turf at Forest Hills. For reasons lost to antiquity, he did not fund any sort of marker for Mademoiselle Mieusset's grave and thus she lies hidden to all but her son whose own casket moulders nearby.
Legend has it Louis’ grave is attended to this day by an anonymous patron who faithfully leaves flowers…though there is never any sign of his/her comings or goings beyond the blooms themselves!
Another glass-enclosed figure, that of little Grace Sherwood Allen, stands elsewhere in Forest Hills. Like her male counterpart, Gracie departed this life at the age of five, though the cause of her death was whooping cough, not mishap. Her statue has been meticulously maintained and each extraordinary detail remains as if it had been rendered only yesterday.
Keep in mind that, should you chose to visit the cemetery in winter, both figures will be covered to further protect them, so you will miss a treat. Still, Forest Hills contains a genuine embarrassment of riches and, regardless of the season, you will have countless treasures to discover-- from the absolutely overwhelming beauty of the powerful Angel of Peace (White Memorial) to the contemplative figure of Grief (Randidge Memorial)…from the awe-inspiring Chadwick Mausoleum to the unaffected stone that marks the resting place of playwright Eugene O’Neill, Forest Hills has something for every taste.
Each fall, Lake Hibiscus (located near the center of the cemetery) is rendered even more picturesque when its surface is brightened by hundreds of candles during the annual Lantern Festival. This lovely tradition celebrates life and death in accordance with ancient Buddhist traditions. Participants write messages to departed loved ones on paper luminaries which are then illuminated and set to float on the lake’s evening-dark surface creating a spectacle not soon forgotten. The Lantern Festival is well-attended, sometimes boasting more than 3,000 participants!
Sadly, Forest Hills was recently forced to acknowledge the failure of what might best be described as “a noble experiment.” We refer to Fern Hill, an area where, save for a smattering of skimpy fronds by the namesake sign, we espied not a single fern! Instead, pine trees carpet the earth with the heady tang of their needles and venerable rhododendrons splay strangely-contorted branches over the ground. Here, on the crown of a Puddingstone “hill,” stands the abandoned skeleton of the Fern Hill Columbarium, comprised of twisting walls featuring Indian Red Granite-faced niches, several of which have been removed to reveal the familiar concrete honeycomb shape within. It doesn’t take long to locate the places where names and dates have been removed—a mute testament to the aforementioned failure.
It seems sales of niches were not particularly brisk, presumably owing to the relative remoteness of the spot as well as the effort required to gain the summit. Apparently, a number of elderly niche owners were concerned over issues of accessibility as well as the possibility of finding themselves in a situation where help would be required without being easily obtained. Regardless, within a year or two of its opening, the cemetery administrators determined to close Fern Hill. Those individuals who had already purchased saces (pre-need or for deceased loved ones) were given their choice of niches in Forest Hills’ indoor columbarium and the area was abandoned.
Fern Hill was also intended to be used as a scattering garden. It seems this option may have been selected by several individuals before the section’s eventual closing as a number of bronze name plates have been affixed to a stand of aggregate columns located near one of the derelict niche banks. The loneliness of the place, now that it has been deserted and wild vegetation is beginning to take hold, lends even more poignancy to the seemingly-forgotten names.
When visiting Forest Hills, be sure to keep in mind the fact that a Crematory and Columbarium are part of the property. In order to reach the building, however, visitors must cross Walk Hill Street. There, the bronze figure of a thin but muscular man holding a sleeping babe stands amid a well-maintained garden of tropical plants. The building itself is stately, with classical features, Ionic columns, a broad stone porch and a steeply-pitched red slate shingle roof. Inside, the Lucy Stone Chapel and the Pitman Chapel are used for burial and memorial services. If no service is underway, be certain to visit the former where you will be able to see the original Ascending Spirit figure, sculpted by Thomas Ridgeway Gould. Initially, the dramatically posed female figure graced the Gould family plot on Forest Avenue; however, time, weather and the effects of acid rain took their toll and the cemetery administrators eventually commissioned a replica which now stands in place of the original.
When at the crematory, be sure to ask one of the employees to allow you to go downstairs where the oldest part of the columbarium (dating back to 1893) stands. What is remarkable about these niches is the fact that each is covered, not with glass, but with a tiny metal grate which is sealed by a diminutive lock. Incidentally, Lucy Stone (suffragist and women’s rights activist) had her mortal remains inurned at Forest Hills. Hers was the first corpse to be cremated in Massachusetts, though the incineration did not take place immediately after her death. At the time of her passing the crematory was still under construction; thus, her body was held in the cemetery's Receiving Vault for two months. Finally, on 30 December, 1893, Ms. Stone's corpse was consigned to the flames. News of the cremation was widespread as the practice was not yet widely accepted in the United States. The fact that a woman...and one of considerable importance...had chosen this method of "disposal" raised eyebrows and interest. Afterwards, her cremains were inurned and placed in the niche where they rest today.
Upstairs, a number of rooms are filled with glass-fronted niches where urns of various styles and dimensions honour the lives of those who have gone before us. Although there is nothing remarkable about these rooms (all of which are called chapels), the building itself is well-kept and possesses a peaceful atmosphere. It also houses a number of original art works and even the death mask of e.e. cummings who is buried in the cemetery proper.
To date, an other-worldly army of over 100,000 strong has chosen to have their mortal remains committed to the lovely embrace of Forest Hills Cemetery. Space at the cemetery is disappearing at an amazing rate. Indeed, the grounds could reach capacity within 30 years...and, while negotiations have been ongoing with regard to adding acreage from nearby vacant land, no deal has been forthcoming. In other words, if you happen to be interested in choosing Forest Hills as your permanent address, you might want to consider making that investment sooner rather than later!
We at Bella Morte happily spent the better part of 1.5 days roaming the 275 acres of this taphophilic wonderland. There is far too much beauty, intrigue and interest to capture in this brief review, but we recommend visiting, without a single reservation. Be sure to allow yourself PLENTY of time as there is simply so much to see! And don’t forget that Mount Auburn Cemetery(another 5 Tombstone winner) is only a few miles away!
{F}