fff|ggg|mount_auburn_cemetery/P1040927|Mary Baker Eddy Memorial|ggg|fff

…was the question that my Dad asked when we told him that we had spent Sunday afternoon at the [Mount Auburn Cemetery](http://www.mountauburn.org) in Cambridge.

The website promises that “it is one of the best birding spots and most beloved landscapes in Massachusetts.” And that it played a significant part in the development of many of America’s first public parks.

And the grounds live up to that description. There are so many things to see. The paved roads wind up and down the hills around ancient and modern gravestones and markers. There are dirt paths that lead to hidden ponds and even more hidden gravestones. There is a lake with a beautiful memorial to Mary Baker Eddy. And, as a great surprise to us, a tower with fantastic 360degree views of Boston and her surrounds.

Peter and Corey and I spent a couple hours walking around, reading gravestones, postulating about the lives of the people that were buried there. Who were they? What did they do? How could they stand having _________ for a name?

fff|ggg|mount_auburn_cemetery/P1040853|Tomb of Harrison Gray Otis|ggg|fff

I was particularly interested in one specific tomb. That of [Harrison Gray Otis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Gray_Otis_%28lawyer%29) (and family). I knew that he was buried at Mount Auburn, and had seen a photo of the tomb, but was unable to find a specific location. (And with 175 acres to cover it would be the needle and the haystack all over again.) Luckily, the information booth had maps available that showed the location of 60 or so famous people buried there…and Otis was one! It was like a homecoming for me. I spend so much of my life reading about and talking about this man… I work in his first family home and now I’ve seen his final resting place. We’ve come full circle.

Full gallery for the day exists [here](http://gallery.prwdot.org/mount_auburn_cemetery?page=1).