In Watertown, within Mt. Auburn Cemetery, is a ground-level grave marker for Charles Eliot, 1859-1897, and his wife, Mary Yale Pitkin Eliot, 1865-1946. This grave is to Charles Eliot, the landscape architect, who had designed many parks in Boston and other areas, and was influential in the establishment of Acadia National Park in Maine, the Massachusetts-based organization, Trustees of Reservations, and the British-based organization, the National Trust.
Charles Eliot was the son of Charles William Eliot, president of Harvard University, and who is also buried at Mt. Auburn Cemetery. Charles Eliot was an apprentice at Fredrick Law Olmsted's firm, where he worked on many projects including several of the parks in Boston's 'Emerald Necklace.' On Olmsted's advice, he spent time in Europe to study the open spaces there, then returned in 1866 to establish his own office, then in 1893 he joined the firm he apprenticed with, at the time run by Fredrick's sons. In time Eliot ran the company when one of the sons had failing health.
Charles Eliot is best known for his design of the parks and parkways surrounding Boston, including the Esplanades of the Charles River, Longfellow Park in Cambridge, and Fresh Pond (continued after his death). He also designed White Park in Concord, NH, Youngstown Gorge (now Mill Creek Park) in Youngstown, OH, and Salt Lake City's plan for a new town.
He also wrote many articles on his profession, including regular contributions to 'Garden and Forest.' One landmark article, "Waverly Oaks," that defended conservation of a stand of oak trees in Belmont, MA, and laid out the blueprint for the preservation of areas of land similar to the Boston Public Library acquiring and saving books. The article spawned a conference at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1890, which resulted in legislation in the Massachusetts General Court that led to the establishment of the Trustees of Reservations, the first of its kind in the world, and which today holds many acres of land throughout the state. Britain's National Trust was established similarly, four years later. He also was influential in the early period of the Metropolitan District Commission (now part of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation), which was in charge of a string of parks and parkways surrounding Boston, including Blue Hills Reservation, Middlesex Fells Reservation, and the Middlesex Fells Parkway.
He died at an early age of spinal meningitis.
One of the legacies left behind is his application of scientific methods to landscaping and reshaping land. He defended methods introduced by Olmsted to remake places like Muddy River to make them acceptable places to the public. After he died, many people carried on his work. His father, Charles W. Eliot, wrote a biography and documented many of his son's work and thoughts. Charles, Sr., also helped establish Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island in Maine and established a landscaping program within Harvard University. At the St. Louis Exposition in 1902, a memorial was made in memory of Charles Eliot (the junior). And his nephew, Charles Eliot II, followed in his uncle's work.
This simple stone marks the location of such an influential man in his field. The stone is outside, in a wooded area of the cemetery grounds. Mt. Auburn Cemetery is large and can be confusing. The best way to access the marker is to go to one of the alcoves in the stone gateway or to the cemetery office and obtain a map. Then follow the map to the grave. The grave is on the west side of the grounds, off Spirea Path off Western Ave.
Sources:
Wikipedia (Charles Eliot, landscape architect):
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Arnold Arboretum (PDF about Charles Eliot):
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Mt. Auburn Cemetery:
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