Monday, July 16, 2012

Antiquarian Guide through Mount Auburn: Donna asked to pray

Guide through Mount Auburn


This is exactly where we we today-please read the next entry for what the conversation was. She asked if she could see if the church was open so that she could kneel at the alter, but there was a private service. 

Mount Auburn Cemetery: Donna and I at Consecratation Dell-Longfellow House

Mount Auburn Cemetery

We had the idea to visit Mount Auburn again and I thought we would beeline to the grave of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Instead Donna wanted to go inside the chapel to pray. In essence, there is a small wishing well right before reaching it and graves that have statues of angels that date between 1831-1899. Reaching the chapel it was the second time the church had a private service in progress, but there is a statue of a Sphinx right there to from which to begin exploring, so we just took the winding roads. There are more Celtic crosses-with-circles-on-them there than I had first guessed; I should think the Celtic cross is a peace sign. None of the graves are ancient by Boston standard but they are Victorian ornate. There wasn't a sound- untill you stopped to listen to the birds. Not a sound. Of interest, there's a life size statue once you get far enough inside- it dates from 1860 and it turned out to be a Universalist minister. There were more crypts, so I decided to go further in between trees and off of the main paths onto foot paths. There is a secluded spot that is essentially woods if you look for ways to get off the road and onto more bridle path.
Consecration Dell is the most romantic spot in Cambridge, but the pond seems to dry up during the summer. We we visited by a chipmunk. The conversation was actually whether it would be an ideal place to make love.
Again, I wasn't looking specificlly, but I was apparently within yards of the graves of painter Winslow Homer and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. We just followed the meandering roads until it seemed like the right direction and found a rabbit.
  But better yet, after Donna and I had lunch (for my memory's sake let me duly note: Roastbeef and Tuna-melt), we decided to walk the rest of the way to Harvard Square. It really is a shorter walk than while visiting the cemetary. Longfellow Park has a wild bust of Longellow with a frieze in back of it featuring Evangeline, The Village Blacksmith, Miles Standish and Hiawatha. The grounds to the Longfellow House are open untill dusk, and although the visitor's center was closed, there is a flower garden attached to the "National Park-Musuem". In effect the flower you would remember would be gladiolas, but the flower garden was a surprise to Donna after walking through all the shaded green foliage of the cemetary.
There is a pergola- Donna asked if it was a gazebo. The actual house dates back to 1759-Longfellow built additions in 1844. We were escorted to the garden: another rabbit during the same afternoon.

Scott Lord