Blue Hill Cemetery Arboretum

Located near the picturesque Blue Hills Reservation twelve miles from the historic heart of Boston, Blue Hill Cemetery was established as a private, non-sectarian organization in 1892 by a group of public-minded and forward-thinking citizens.  Inspired by the “rural cemetery movement” that arose in mid-19th century America, and which emphasized landscape architecture as in integral element of cemetery design, Blue Hill Cemetery found its purpose in fulfilling the death care and permanent memorialization needs of residents from Braintree and the surrounding South Shore and south-suburban communities.  The ensuing decades brought significant changes in death care practices.  In honoring their past with an eye on the future, Blue Hill Cemetery has experienced remarkable growth and expansion as a response to society’s ever-evolving customs, traditions, and beliefs associated with death care, bereavement, and memorialization, including the addition of a crematory facility in 2014 and accreditation as a Level I Arboretum by ArbNet in 2024.  As the South Shore’s preeminent cemetery, Forever Entrusted to Our Care is a pledge to which they faithfully dedicate themselves every day of every season.  From the late 19th century and well into the 21st century, the sole purpose of their organization remains unwavering; to develop, nurture and maintain a place of permanent memorialization set in a pastoral sanctuary of reverence, remembrance, and repose.