The group of prominent Bostonians who founded Mount Auburn in 1831 had many motives. Although their criticism of urban burials in the name of public health had been to no avail in obtaining public support, the removal of new burials from the center of the expanding city eliminated a particularly bothersome nuisance to real estate developers and urban boosters. By creating a picturesque "rural" cemetery within easy distance from the city center, Mount Auburn's founders solved an urban land use problem while establishing a multifunctional cultural institution where they could attempt to improve...