by Natalie Wampler, Preservation & Facilities Planner, Mount Auburn
This article originally appeared in the March 2010 Friends of Mount Auburn electronic newsletter.

Did you know we have more than 300 tombs at Mount Auburn?
Tombs are structurally enclosed repositories for the remains of the dead.

Within that count:

We have at least 170 underground tombs.  These are typically brick barrel-vaulted structures entirely under the ground, and unseen to the naked eye.

We have more than 150 sidehill tombs and mausolea on the site.

Every spring and fall we wax doors and sweep out the tombs with perpetual care obligations.

View select images on flickr of this fascinating collection!