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29-562: Harrisburg Cemetery , sometimes referred to as Mount Kalmia Cemetery , is a prominent rural cemetery and national historic district in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania , located at 13th and Liberty streets in the Allison Hill / East Harrisburg neighborhoods of the city. It was founded in 1845, though interments took place for many years before. The cemetery is also the burial ground for American Revolutionary War soldiers. The caretaker's cottage

58-476: A commercial business for the first time, replacing the practice of burying the dead in churchyards or on private farmland. One effect of the law was the development of a large concentration of cemeteries along the border between the New York City boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn , often called the "Cemetery Belt". By the 1860s, rural cemeteries could be found on the outskirts of cities and smaller towns across

87-429: A former business he owned, the trustees began a detailed review of the books which revealed the organization to be "essentially broke and facing a stack of bills with no way to pay them." Feige resigned after the trustees presented the facts, but it was apparent that problems were building over a number of years due to overspending. In 2002 the society sold $ 5.25 million of rare books and prints to raise cash, at which time

116-575: A new vegetable garden was designed to support the Garden to Table program. By 2013, this vegetable garden was producing over 4000 pounds of produce that was donated to two food pantries. The Welcome Garden near the parking lot entrance was added in 2012, designed by Paul Miskovsky. Improvements to the Italianate Garden included the restoration of the fountain, a central element to the garden. Since 2011, over $ 250,000 in capital investments have been made to

145-424: A rural area outside of Quebec City, Canada, upon his first design, the highly acclaimed Green-Wood Cemetery , in what at the time was a rural section of Brooklyn . All three of Douglass' rural, garden cemeteries have been conferred a historic status, by their respective nations. Its architect, Charles Baillargé, took inspiration from Green–Wood Cemetery, as well, for his design of this garden cemetery, in what at

174-540: The Civil War and cemeteries often had the stench of decomposing corpses. After several yellow fever epidemics, many cities began to relocate cemeteries outside city limits, as it was believed to be more hygienic. As early as 1711, the architect Sir Christopher Wren advocated for the creation of burial grounds on the outskirts of town, "inclosed with a strong Brick Wall, and having a walk round, and two cross walks, decently planted with Yew-trees". An early influence on

203-504: The Romantic aesthetic taste for pastoral beauty, Mount Auburn was developed as a "domesticated landscape" popularized by 19th century English landscape design. Its plan included retention of natural features like ponds and mature forests with added roads and paths that followed the natural contours of the land, as well as the planting of hundreds of native and exotic trees and plants. United States Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story delivered

232-515: The lawn cemetery . Presently, many of these historic cemeteries are designated landmarks and are cared for by non-profit organizations. David Bates Douglass , a military and civilian engineer, working in the capacity as a consulting architect, designed the landscape layout of Albany Rural Cemetery , 1845–1846. He modeled his design of the Albany Rural Cemetery, as well as his subsequent and final one, Mount Hermon Cemetery (1848), in

261-643: The Boston Flower & Garden Show, produced by the Paragon Group, Inc., a privately-held events marketing group. That show took place in March 2010 at the Seaport World Trade Center. MassHort took responsibility for two floral design competitions, amateur horticulture competition, Ikebana displays, plant society displays and one day of lectures. In its May 2010 newsletter, 'The Leaflet', MassHort described

290-556: The Massachusetts Attorney General strongly advised the society to educate its trustees on sound financial practices. In order to conserve cash the society decided to not hold the New England Spring Flower Show in 2009 for the first time since 1871, opting instead for a truncated event in downtown Boston called 'Blooms". In September 2009, MassHort announced that it would incorporate "Blooms" as part of

319-681: The Rural Cemetery movement was the New Burying Ground in New Haven, Connecticut (later named Grove Street Cemetery ). The New Burying Ground was established in 1796, and was the first example in the U.S. of a non-sectarian cemetery outside of church and city control in a park-like setting. In 1804, the first rural cemetery, the Père Lachaise Cemetery , opened in Paris . The new design took

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348-844: The South Cemetery ( Südfriedhof ) in Kiel dates from 1869, the Riensberger Friedhof in Bremen dates from 1875, the 1881 Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde in Berlin, the 1881 Südfriedhof in Leipzig , and the Ohlsdorf Cemetery in Hamburg . The Ohlsdorf was transformed from a treeless, sandy plain into 92 acres of sculpted, wooded landscape by its first director, architect Wilhelm Cordes. In 2016 it stands as

377-716: The U.S. such as Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia , and Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn . Many were accompanied by dedication addresses similar to Storys', which linked the cemeteries to the mission of creating a Christian republic . In 1847, the New York State Legislature passed the Rural Cemetery Act which authorized commercial burial grounds in New York . The law led to the burial of human remains becoming

406-540: The Weezie's Children's Garden, an Italianate Garden, a floral and vegetable trial garden run as part of the All-American Selections group, and specialty gardens built around rhododendron, daylilies, herbs and native plants. In 2008 the society found itself in financial difficulty. Following revelation that then-new executive director Bob Feige had spent three days in jail the year before for failing to pay employees at

435-592: The cemetery out of the control of the church, using an attractive park built on a grand scale, architectural design and careful planting inspired by the English garden movement. The first rural cemetery in the United States was Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts , founded by Dr. Jacob Bigelow and Henry Dearborn of The Massachusetts Horticultural Society in 1831. The City of Boston became concerned about

464-541: The country. These cemeteries were decorated with tall obelisks, spectacular mausoleums, and magnificent sculptures. By 1861, the rural cemetery movement began to decline partly due to the high cost of maintaining large landscapes but also due to the development of public parks. Many landscape designers, including Frederick Law Olmsted who designed Central Park in New York City , borrowed ideas from rural cemeteries. As more public parks opened, fewer people went to cemeteries for leisure and relaxation activities. Due to

493-425: The dedication address on September 24, 1831. Mount Auburn also began the practice of allowing the purchase of family plots large enough to allow the burial of several generations of a single family. Mount Auburn quickly grew as a popular site for both burials and public recreation, attracting locals as well as tourists from across the country and Europe. Mount Auburn inspired dozens of other rural cemeteries across

522-465: The early 19th century, urban burial grounds were generally sectarian and located on small plots and churchyards within cities. With the rapid increase in urban populations due to the Industrial Revolution , urban cemeteries became unhealthily overcrowded with graves stacked upon each other, or emptied and reused for newer burials. The practice of embalming did not become popular until after

551-496: The health hazards caused by decomposing corpses in cemeteries in the middle of the city. A citizens' group led by Bigelow pulled together residents to discuss the design and location of a cemetery outside city limits. The search for a site took six years and land was eventually purchased on a farm known as Sweet Auburn along the Charles River about four miles from Boston. Coinciding with the growing popularity of horticulture and

580-687: The largest rural cemetery in the world, and has been the largest cemetery in Europe since its opening in 1875. As of 1911, rural cemeteries were still unusual in Germany. Other examples include the Waldfriedhof Dahlem in Berlin, 1931. Massachusetts Horticultural Society The Massachusetts Horticultural Society , sometimes abbreviated to Mass Hort or MHS , is an American horticultural society based in Massachusetts . [1] It describes itself as

609-472: The nineteenth century. Images of hope and immortality were popular in rural cemeteries in contrast to the puritanical pessimism depicted in earlier cemeteries. Statues and memorials included depictions of angels and cherubs as well as botanical motifs such as ivy representing memory, oak leaves for immortality, poppies for sleep and acorns for life. From their inception, the new cemeteries were intended as civic institutions designed for public use. Before

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638-767: The oldest formally organized horticultural institution in the United States . As of 2014, it had some 5,000 members. The society was established in 1829 in Boston as the Boston Horticultural Society , and promptly began weekly exhibits (in Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market ) of locally grown fruit and later vegetables, teaching the newest horticultural techniques and breeds, including the local Concord grape in 1853. It continued this tradition from 1871 through 2008 with its annual New England Spring Flower Show . In 1831

667-469: The scale of death caused by the American Civil War (almost 2% the U.S. population died in the war), the U.S. government outsourced many burials to privately owned rural cemeteries. Since family plot owners could do as they wished with their lots, rural cemeteries that began as orderly and scenic ended up as cluttered and unkempt. Rural cemeteries began to fade out of popularity and were replaced by

696-529: The society bought a 72-acre (290,000 m ) estate called "Sweet Auburn" for an arboretum , garden, and cemetery. Although the horticultural garden never materialized, in 1835 the site was incorporated as Mount Auburn Cemetery . Until 1976, the society received one-fourth of the proceeds from the sale of Mount Auburn's cemetery lots. In its early years, the Society met in various locations in Boston. Starting in 1845,

725-607: The society has built for itself three successive exhibit halls, each named "Horticultural Hall." The first was located on School Street; the second on Tremont Street, and the third on Massachusetts Avenue. Since 2001 the society's headquarters have been at the Elm Bank Horticulture Center (36 acres) in Wellesley . The 36 acres (150,000 m ) encompass multiple gardens including an acre-sized one designed by prominent UK plantsman Adrian Bloom. Other gardens include

754-677: The time was the rural outskirts of the city of Québec. The development of the American movement paralleled the creation of the landscaped cemeteries in England , with Mount Auburn inspiring the design of London 's first non-denominational cemetery at Abney Park (1840), one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries . Among the first of the Parkfriedhof established in German-speaking Europe,

783-513: The venture as 'financially successful'. Also in its May 2010 newsletter, MassHort reported it had reached agreement with the bulk of its remaining creditors by selling off an additional group of books from its collection. In January 2011 the Board of Trustees hired Katherine K. Macdonald as Executive Director/President of the Society after the Board stabilized the organization's financials. The Garden at Elm Bank includse twelve display gardens. In 2011,

812-543: The widespread development of public parks , the rural cemetery provided a place for the general public to enjoy outdoor recreation amidst art and sculpture previously available only for the wealthy. The popularity of rural cemeteries decreased toward the end of the 19th century due to the high cost of maintenance, development of true public parks and perceived disorderliness of appearance arising from independent ownership of family burial plots and different grave markers. Lawn cemeteries became instead an attractive design. In

841-523: Was built in 1850. It was designed by famed 19th Century architect, Andrew Jackson Downing , in the Gothic Revival style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. 40°16′19″N 76°52′20″W  /  40.27203°N 76.87231°W  / 40.27203; -76.87231 Rural cemetery The rural cemetery movement mirrored changing attitudes toward death in

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