Isn’t it remarkable how even cemeteries can reflect broader movements in art and culture? Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts, is more than just a final resting place. It is a testament to the rural cemetery movement.
Laid out in 1857, Holyhood Cemetery sought to emulate the beauty and tranquility of Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. It became Brookline’s first cemetery of this kind. Imagine winding lanes, lush landscaping, and an atmosphere of peace and reflection. Holyhood Cemetery earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Most of Holyhood follows the winding paths typical of rural cemeteries. However, there is one exception. The “German Acre” near the entrance has a more traditional grid-like layout. This section was created for a congregation of German Catholics.
The cemetery’s chapel stands proudly on a hill near the center. Designed by Patrick Keely, a renowned architect of Catholic churches, the chapel is a Gothic Revival masterpiece. Built between 1859 and 1862, its puddingstone construction adds to its unique charm.
Holyhood Cemetery holds the remains of some notable figures. Joseph and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, parents of President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and Senator Edward Kennedy, are buried here. Their daughter Rosemary Kennedy also rests in Holyhood. Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, the last child born to President Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy, was initially buried here. He was later moved to Arlington National Cemetery.
Beyond the Kennedy family, Holyhood is the final resting place of other prominent individuals. Former Boston Mayor and U.S. Representative Patrick Collins is memorialized here. His memorial was sculpted by Cyrus Edwin Dallin. Cardinal John Wright, golfer Francis Ouimet, and baseball player George Wright are interred here too. Irish poet and journalist John Boyle O’Reilly, author James Jeffrey Roche, and lightbulb pioneer Martha J. B. Thomas also found their final resting place in Holyhood Cemetery. Controversially, John Geoghan, a disgraced priest, is also buried here.
The cemetery also holds a Commonwealth war burial. William Becker Hagan, an American-born Royal Air Force Cadet of World War I, is buried here. Holyhood Cemetery is a picturesque Victorian cemetery. Narrow winding paths, ornate grave markers, graceful old trees, and flowering shrubbery define it. Holyhood Cemetery was already growing by the late 19th century. Additional land was purchased nearby in West Roxbury to develop St. Joseph Cemetery.