Forest Hills Cemetery

While King’s Chapel and Granary burial grounds get all of the attention among tourists looking to hobnob with the ghosts of Boston’s colonial past, Forest Hills Cemetery in Jamaica Plain is a sublime historic garden cemetery boasting 275-acres of winding paths, rugged hills and memorial statues celebrating the lives of Boston-area civic leaders, inventors, artists and blue-collar men and women who left an indelible legacy at this landmark dating back to 1848.

In fact, a slew of Boston’s contemporary trailblazers are buried at Forest Hills including abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, suffragist Lucy Stone, poets Anne Sexton and ee cummings, playwright Eugene O'Neill and sculptor Martin Milmore. There’s an elaborate memorial for John Reece, inventor of the buttonhole machine, by artist William Ordway Patridge to commemorate Reece’s heroic death trying to save an employee in 1896.

Nestled in the heart of Forest Hills Cemetery is Lake Hibiscus, an ornamental pond that’s home to several contemporary arts pieces including  "Poetry Chairs" by Mitch Ryerson and Elizabeth McKim and is where thousands gather each July to participate in the Buddhist-inspired Lantern Festival by launching a  glimmering personalized light into the waters to represent the souls of the dead.

Designed by Mount Auburn Cemetery’s creator Alexander Dearborn, Forest Hills is open every day from dawn to dusk and visitors are invited to take a self-guided tour inspired by author Susan Wilson’s “Garden of Memories.” Also, the Forest Hills Educational Trust offers brochures at the map stand by the main entrance, a massive Gothic-style structure.

While the cemetery boasts some impressive memorial statues including Daniel Chester French’s “Death Staying the Hand of the Sculptor” which is near the entrance and “Ascending Spirit” to commemorate artist Thomas Ridgeway Gould, the Trust has assembled a 24-piece contemporary art sculptural path that leads visitors on a spiritual journey of self-discovery through this open-air museum. A stand-out piece includes “Spirit Vessels” by artist Susan Ferrari-Rowley crafted from wielded stainless steel with a poly-fiber aircraft coating.

HelloMetro Tip: It’s easy to get lost when walking through this 275-acre cemetery, so make sure you pick up a map at the stand near the front entrance. Also, there are restrooms at the main office and they also have copies of Susan Wilson’s “Garden of Memories” guidebook for sale. Forest Hills Cemetery doesn’t have a concession stand with food or water, so bring your own supplies.

- by Sam Baltrusis, Boston Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Sam Baltrusis

Sam Baltrusis has worked for WHDH.com, Spike-TV, VH1, Independent News, Seventeen, Newsweek, and as a regional stringer for The New York Times. He's currently a full-time freelance editor and writer in Boston, where he's an instructor for Mediabistro.com and contributes to various regional publications including Boston Spirit Magazine. Sam also publishes a successful pop culture site, LoadedGunBoston.com, and was recently featured on WCVB-TV's "Chronicle" and Boston's NPR affiliate WBUR.