Walnut Hills Cemetery

Walnut Hills Cemetery is a 45-acre burial ground in Brookline featuring rolling terrain, mature shade trees, and natural puddingstone rock formations across the landscape. Paved walkways wind through the grounds, curving naturally with the hillside contours.

The town of Brookline established this cemetery in 1875 using a rural cemetery design approach that was becoming popular in America at that time. Landscape designers Ernest Bowditch and Franklin Copeland shaped the grounds to blend the natural setting with memorial purposes.

The cemetery holds graves of people who shaped Boston and American history through architecture, public service, and civic leadership. Walking through the grounds, you notice how this place became a final resting place for those who left their mark on society.

The grounds are open daily from 7 AM to 3 PM and accessible through two separate entrances located throughout the property. Walking paths are well maintained and easy to navigate for visitors exploring the cemetery.

A receiving vault built in 1901 designed by Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow Jr. sits among auxiliary buildings planned by architect Guy Lowell, who is also buried within the grounds. This means the designer's work and legacy remain visible in the space he helped shape.

Location: Brookline

Inception: 1875

GPS coordinates: 42.30278,-71.14722

Latest update: December 14, 2025 11:25