By Sasha Kramer

Industrialization: The Rural Garden Cemetery Movement

Tree diversity is declining. More than 10,000 tree species or 20 percent of the world’s known tree species are threatened with extinction. Scientists say that the world’s plants are going extinct at 500 times faster than the natural extinction rate and humans are a key driver of this extinction. 

Albeit unsuspected, cemeteries play a crucial role in the conservation of plants, trees, and wildlife. Cemeteries are proven refuges for rare and endangered plant species and a great deal of them host trees that are significantly older than those in the surrounding areas. Many cemeteries are embracing their status as havens for nature by becoming accredited arboreta through ArbNet. ArbNet has an accreditation program that recognizes institutions, with a tree-focus, better-care for, protect and conserve their trees. Come to find, the garden cemetery has a long history in America of providing plant, tree, and wildlife conservation. 

In the 1800s garden cemeteries were established on the outskirts of major cities (today, historic cemeteries are located within the city-center due to urban expansion) to mitigate the public health concerns surrounding overcrowded graveyards. 

In 1831, the first rural garden cemetery, Mount Auburn Cemetery (ArbNet accredited at Level III)), was founded in Boston. Other cities around the country quickly followed suit. By 1850, nearly a dozen similar cemeteries took root across Eastern America: Rochester, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Worcester, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Louisville, New York, Richmond, Charleston, and St. Louis.

The creation of garden cemeteries was actually a movement, called the Rural Garden Cemetery Movement. This movement in some sense marked the first whispers of American environmentalism.

Garden cemeteries pre-dated public parks and cities lacked green space and beauty. The garden cemetery filled this void by providing a respite from the pollution and ironically, the dreariness of urban life. The necropolis, in the age of industrialization, funnily enough, became a place for the living. Families and couples frequented garden cemeteries, enjoying carriage rides, nature walks, and sculpture viewings. Eventually, however, the garden cemetery would become replaced by public parks and edged-out by urban expansion. 

The Garden Cemetery Goes Out of Style 

As human lifespan increased, confronting death in one’s daily life began to fade from the cultural consciousness. The perception of death among urbanites changed from one of acceptance to one of fear and preferred detachment. By the early 1900s, city planners and developers gave preference to city parks and development projects. Thanks to perpetual care agreements and historic preservationists, some of the historical garden cemeteries still exist, many of which are ArbNet accredited.

The Garden Cemetery Makes a Comeback in the 2000s

Garden cemeteries, in the age of human environmental domination and climate change, are valuable assets in the conservation of trees, plants, and wildlife. In fact, 10 percent of all of ArbNet’s accredited arboreta in the U.S., are cemeteries. In many cases, ArbNet is the sole inspiration for an institution to organize itself to label and take inventory of its trees, as well as offer tree-focused events and educational outreach, or participate in plant and tree conservation. In fact, 75 percent of ArbNet’s accredited arboreta were not previously arboreta. Many of them, like Laurel Historic Linden Grove Cemetery and Arboretum (Level 1), received a grant to become an arboretum. Garden cemeteries are now back in style, bringing nature into the city, providing recreation, education, and beauty. Many are even popular tourist attractions. ArbNet encourages its cemeteries to take on a new role-to actively participate in tree conservation and research. 

Some cemeteries like Green-Wood (Level III) in Brooklyn, New York have impressive research and conservation programs already. Green-Wood invites citizen scientists to participate in their Phenology Project, which records the impact of light pollution on Green-Wood’s trees. Mount Auburn Cemetery monitors the effects of climate change on its trees and has its own Wildlife Action Plan. This plan outlines initiatives to create resilient habitats that provide cover, food, water, and breeding ground for wildlife, improve the quality of its water bodies, and establish new habitats for pollinators. 

Citizen scientists measure the diameter at breast height (DBH) of a tree at Mount Auburn Cemetery to collect data on the impact of climate change on its trees. Image from Mount Auburn Cemetery. 

The rich history and the role of the garden cemetery is very much alive today. Check out the Morton Register of Arboreta to find a cemetery near you that is recognized as an arboretum or consider introducing a cemetery near you to the ArbNet Accreditation Program. With ArbNet, the garden cemetery movement is revived to conserve and study trees.

References 

Bender, T. (1974). The “Rural Cemetery Movement: Urban Travail and the Appeal of Nature. The New England Quarterly, Vol. 47, No. 2, pp. 196-211.

Croghan, L. (February 27, 2019). Green-Wood Cemetery rolls out new tree care initiatives. Retrieved from: https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2019/02/27/green-wood-cemetery-rolls-out-new-tree-care-initiatives/

Cummins, E. (October 23, 2018). Cemeteries are the perfect spot to track our planet’s demise. Popular Science. Retrieved from: https://www.popsci.com/climate-change-phenology-cemeteries/?fbclid=IwAR0qeytvtXStGP6tZ0J1fWIGhX34AkCxCQlB09FTIxS_R7CBbYAfLhkLLlY

Darnall, M. (1983). The American Cemetery as Picturesque Landscape: Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. louis. Winterthur Portfolio, Vol. 18, No. 4, pp. 249-269. 

Loki, V. Deak, B. Lukacks, A. Molnar, A. (2019). Biodiversity potential of burial places – a review of the flora and fauna of cemeteries and churchyards. Global Ecology and Conservation. 18:e00614. 

Shelton, T. (2008). Unmaking Historic Spaces: Urban Progress and the San Francisco Cemetery Debate, 1895-1937. California History, Vol. 85, No.4, pp/. 26-47.

Tucker, D. (May 7, 2019). Local Tree Experts Talk UN Report on Declining Biodiversity. WBEZ 91.5 Chicago Morning Shift. Retrieved from: https://www.wbez.org/shows/morning-shift/local-tree-experts-talk-un-report-on-declining-biodiversity/77d927f5-398b-a55f-1e12d1b1a43e

Willams, T. (June 2, 2014). In the Garden Cemetery: The Revival of America’s First Urban Parks. American Forests Magazine. Retrieved from: https://www.americanforests.org/magazine/article/in-the-garden-cemetery-the-revival-of-americas-first-urban-parks/

Richman, J. (June 21, 2012). Green-Wood’s Great Trees. Green-Wood. Retrieved from: https://www.green-wood.com/2012/green-woods-great-trees/

The New York Phenology Project. Green-Wood. Retrieved from: https://green-wood.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=46cc4c2769d64edcbb310901923a1ec5Wildlife Action Plan. Mount Auburn Cemetery. Retrieved from: https://mountauburn.org/wildlife-action-plan/